The Other One
by I've got Rhythm in my Soul
Summary: Enter Mai Li, new student, non-conformist, social retard and all around doomed teen. Meeting Ichigo Kurosaki just made it worse...
1. Prologue

**Be gentle, it's my first time writing a Bleach fanfic. I have quite a few ideas for this so just run with it. You may even be confused at times with where I'm going with it. But you never know. It might just be like a fine wine… or absolute crap, whichever… should be fun.**

**The Other One**

Prologue

We were worshiped once.

Of an age where the two great powers protected and guided the ignorant and reckless humans.

But then war was ignited.

The differences between our faith and raison d'être sparked a tide of hostility, corrupting piece by piece what we had built. At its core it was a simple difference of opinion…

…That desiccated a once fertile land.

A battle that could never be measured was forged on the great plains of the hidden field.

It was a blood bath. Neither side escaped injury, loss and pain. Friend turned to enemy. Covetous natures twisted into maliciousness. Lust for power exceeded selfless acts. Ignorance of the pain on both sides turned to ruthless arrogance.

One side sealed itself away. The other became hidden. And the humans stood for themselves.

The hidden field buried for all eternity.

Where there were once three, there became one. One known race.

Our history was torn from human memory… but the remaining fragments warped themselves.

For one side their remnant memory was feared and cursed; their primary function disguised as an evil rather than a neutral state.

The other were hated and seen as abominations of nature, as vile rejects rather than kin.

It was done to prevent the further influence we had on the human race. A group of beings who displayed _so_ much potential.

But an error was made…

…The disturbance on the hidden plains attracted a _fourth_ party of beings brought onward from the atrocity of our own actions.

A sinister presence unfamiliar yet not too dissimilar in character from our own adversaries.

It forewarned of a crack.

An opening were our two sides had waged war.

And it has been opening so very slowly ever since…

**We stand in awe before that which cannot be seen.**

**And we respect with every fibre that which cannot be explained.**

**Are we driven by fate to our Destiny?**

**Or do we open that window; do **_**we**_** walk down that highway?**


	2. End of SoCalled Normalcy Part 1

Chapter 1:

**End of (So-Called) Normalcy Part 1:**

**A Series of Odd Events**

_The relative normalcy of my life was something I was quite used to. _

_The kind of life where I went to school and was annoyed by my family AKA Uncle Jihi and Aunt Chiyu. The everyday routine of receiving an education was all that truly mattered to me. Where I considered boring to be necessary. And if that life was threatened I'd be as inherently selfish as most teenagers are and do any and all in my power to keep it safe because I didn't know of any other life. Of a life with friends (if I where lucky enough to find them), of new possibilities… of places and people I never dared dream to be real forcing themselves into my perfectly ordinary existence._

_Well, seemingly ordinary anyway._

_I didn't know anything else… but I really should have known that there is no such thing as no such thing._

…_Because then something happened. Something that shook the very foundations of everything I thought I knew, that caused me to change everything I believed in, that caused a colossal change in myself. And I was given a choice, faced with an option that was both incredibly harsh and insanely simple. Could I risk my soul for the good of all mankind, give my life for the ideals of someone whose destiny was so much greater than my own?_

_What happened to me? Well…_

_I met a boy with vivid orange hair…and he opened a door to a world I never knew existed and never would have believed in had I not experienced it myself._

* * *

**Subject: Mai Li**

Her parents were not the most creative of people, which was something she often wondered about seeing as how one was a Construction Worker/Building designer and the other a Musician.

They named her what she considered to be the most boring and unimaginative name on the planet. Mai Li. The whole name was barely two syllables. They must have been having an off day; it didn't even have a long duration. Even with all this though she didn't hate it… because it was hers.

It was _her_ name and therefore she loved it.

But what's in a name anyway?

Quite a bit as she would soon learn.

To describe her physically you could say that well… she isn't that bad really. For future reference (since this is my story and you may want to know) she looks nothing like her parents. Her father had light brown hair, her mother deep black. Hers falls somewhat between the two; thick, unruly, dark mahogany brown hair, which eats sunlight and changes colour slightly depending on the time of day and weather in juxtaposition with one another. Her eyes are an unusual contradiction of about 3 different pale greens and a lining of a soft gold.

Her built is fairly athletic, honed by hours of mindless physical activity. Her skin is 'normal' coloured. No tan, fake or otherwise, no perfect olive coloured skin or incredibly fair and soft to touch skin. Just normal skin with a decent potential to colour in the sun or under emotional pressure – She doesn't blush easily but when she does there's a noticeable difference.

Figure wise er, -ahem. Well she didn't have one… until recently that is, bloody sweet sixteen's and all that, not that she's model status or anything.

Unfortunately for her she'd developed into quite the curvaceous teenager.

It was a bother; she was used to being the flat-chested one with no hips and small bottom. And it was efficient since she never cared about looking feminine or being the natural opposite to the male sex. It was comfortable. But now, oh _now _she was forced to wear (because her body secretly hated her) a size c, for her sake I repeat for emphasis: A FREAKING SIZE C BRA to hold her new and natural thrice grown breasts of which she was still unaccustomed to… _and_ she'd gone up a size in clothes. Not that she'd ever been petit but it was a shock for her to suddenly have to go shopping with Chiyu to buy clothes a size bigger than the majority of the teenage girls in her school year. After all muscle + newly acquired boobs and hips = next size up. The travesty of it all…

So after that massive description of herself (there so I have no need to repeat these facts) we can begin the story of when her life changed forever, or more specifically, when it truly began.

The prequel commenced when she first moved to Karakura town.

* * *

**A Little Over Five Weeks before the Night in Which Everything Altered**…

In the short time I've been alive I had often been plagued by dreams. Plagued in that I suffer them almost every night. Fortunately I rarely remembered them…

But they could be a little exhausting.

Like tonight's dream… More than anything I was probably anxious about the move. Moving to a whole new town and not just moving a few miles down the road… towards the _other_ side of Tokyo. It was a pretty big change.

But was it big enough, _really_, to warrant darkness personified into shapeless grey blobs that descended from the sky only to fall to earth transforming into white monsters that are constantly starving no matter how much they devour… ?

Hmmm… what charming imagery. I needed to see this the night before a big move.

Maybe I was reading too much. I read a _lot_.

A year ago I could have tried to blame it on the machinations of my Uncle. He could be a bit of a horror story at times. The man is slightly eccentric; he used to be a wrestler and was quite famous at one time. He retired three years ago but he is in no way out of shape. My Aunt too, personality wise is bipolar at best, she likes to screw around with people's love lives (as does my uncle), she's incredibly nosy (as is my uncle), she's handsome and she knows it (as does my uncle)… and she's her husband's advocate.

It could be a little… _dramatic_ living with them… yeah dramatic. Good word.

But they genuinely love me and they were kind… to _me_ anyway.

Let's just say they have no problem informing others of their opinions no matter how awkward.

Chiyu owned an Onsen; it was one of the main reasons for her moving over to Karakura. In fact she owns a large branch of them; she even has shares in Beppu.

In the small town where I am moving from there's barely any reason for there to be an Onsen in the first place. It isn't known for its entertainment or relaxation facilities. Chiyu was more or less bored stiff with the area and had a refreshingly low opinion of the people living there but not only that, she felt that I should have a change of scenery.

I actually live alone and had done so for almost a year. Prior to this my Aunt and Uncle detested any thought of the idea of me living alone but when they wished to move I'd wanted to stay and complete middle school.

It was the only thing in this God forsaken place that I would regret not doing before leaving.

When my Uncle chose to retire early he took some relaxation time off and decided to take charge over his own daughter's education. Her name is Pei and she's home schooled. She's a year older than me and Chiyu had more or less taught her all she needed to learn about middle school life.

But when her Onsen in Karakura started to flourish Chiyu had no choice but to move to where it was situated. She would have to manage the business which meant she couldn't tutor Pei. Uncle Jihi was completely fine with the change and also _completely_ fine with working at her Onsen, which pleased Chiyu ("If anything he'd be eye candy!") she said, however…

I would have to move with them.

When I'd said no to this well… they weren't pleased.

They'd worried about me being lonesome _and_ about me being _alone_… here, in _this_ town.

And they had every right to be.

I had a bad history with the town folk.

But they'd also understood my goal so they trusted me and let me stay on the condition that I came to live with them when I finished middle school.

At the time when the plan was proposed I couldn't really have cared any less. I'd just nodded in agreement. Though not apathetic I was focused. Sure I'd miss them… much more than I thought I would actually. We kept in correspondence every week and telephoned each other but it wasn't the same. Nevertheless it was education I was used to not relaxing my days away in a mud bath or mineral spa.

What else would I do with my time?

Though after a while I realised that Chiyu had a point… During the final few months of my middle school life I'd felt more at odds with myself than at any other time in my life.

I would suffer through bouts of irrational humour, not knowing if I was even remotely witty in person I'd be disturbed at the manic laughter, pranks and insulting jokes I seemed predisposed to making on random citizens, or even myself. It was completely out of character for me. And if it wasn't absurdities it was fits of… well…

…Loss.

I felt a little empty.

Like I was missing an old friend, like a constant ache…

…As though I really wasn't suppose to be in this dead town anyway.

I referred to it as dead because of the decidedly low and constant attitudes of the residents who live here. Once their opinion forms it ceases to alter.

Myself and Pei, Jihi and Chiyu delight in our open minds and love the fact that we're all a little odd.

But odd in this town was just begging for negative attention… and we'd had our fair share.

The citizens were all so shallow and single minded that it had become a little oppressing… not to mention depressing.

Chiyu had always said that she missed the atmosphere of a lively Onsen, of the smell of all the different kinds of herbs, minerals etc that are used there and most of all she missed where she flourished.

But even more amazingly she seemed to think I would flourish too.

It was Pei that would manage the Onsen some day for which I was truly thankful. I may have only been a niece but the Sohma's were closer to me than that, much closer. They treated me as a second daughter, albeit one with more independence, and a sister to Pei. They understood my need for space but Chiyu thought living at an Onsen would inspire me to try to communicate in some way or form with _living organisms_ rather than books. My uncle had mysteriously thought that Karakura would fit to me like a glove.

I knew that they thought that me leaving this hick town would help to awaken the real me. The Mai Li trapped beneath layers of well… layers. The girl who had once had more sunshine in her than the sun itself instead of a hermit of an adolescent… and it had been done by choice too which was and _is_ kind of depressing really.

So I was moving to make a change, to (as the old cliché goes) start a new life. It was a phrase I'd come to love… it's so flimsy yet covers a whole spectrum of possible reasons to move from one place to the next; also putting a stopper to further questioning on the matter.

Lying here for what would be the last time in a bed that could have been military issued I smiled at the traitorous shot of excitement coursing through me and wondered at just how smart my relatives really were. It had been a while since I'd felt anything close to enthusiasm.

I. Was. Leaving.

I had no friends to leave behind, no grievances to worship, no old haunts to miss… I definitely wouldn't miss my teachers except maybe my art teacher. It was a new slate.

And it was exciting… refreshing, appealing. It was as if I could feel a whole new chapter in life beckoning me forward.

I could try to be myself once more, I hadn't been in such a long time that I think I've forgotten how, and in some place new…and perhaps things would change…

…Where my past would hopefully not follow me.

Packing for an Onsen was an even more tiring prospect than expected.

It's surprising the things that you pick up over time. Finding for example the old flute I used to play with, the chess set I thought I'd lost, the odd photo here and there.

No one came to see me off, not that I'd told anyone.

Then of course there was crazy Uncle Jihi, ex-wrestler extraordinaire who arrived at _dawn,_ incognito (because apparently he was still _soooo_ famous that he'd be recognised unless he wore a wig, Hawaiian t-shirt and shades- loon), and who insisted on carrying the bulk of the load himself (though it really wasn't much), which of course made him stand out like a sore thumb.

I had missed him terribly. I practically flattened him the moment I saw him through my peephole standing outside my apartment door and he'd more or less crushed me to death laughing raucously all the while.

"_Never_ _again_! Never will I agree to one of your hair brained schemes of being an _independent_ teen again if it means missing you THISSSS MUUUCCCHHH!" He said loud enough to wake the next door neighbour who came out to interrupt us or rather to shout at _me_ before being chased off by a single menacing glare from Jihi.

Yeah I'd definitely missed him.

Then he'd stepped back and taken hold of my shoulders as he looked me over.

"…You've grown again… and you've changed a little…GAH!" His eyes went wide and his mouth agape as he came to some conclusion.

His hands slapped against his cheeks dramatically and he shouted out.

"You're turning into a woman and you're only 15! WHAT'S THE WORLD COMING TO I ASK YOU? WAHAHAHAHA! TOO FAST! YOU'RE GROWING TOO FAST!"

Panicked at the noise I went to grab his arms. "Uncle calm down!"

He quieted eventually when I was finally able to pull him down to my height. I may have grown somewhat but me Uncle was a good foot taller than me.

Freaking giant.

To condense a long story short I'm not actually related to my aunt, uncle or Pei. Not even a little, I just call them aunt and uncle out of circumstance… and because they insist upon it, weirdoes.

Anyway, as Jihi put my things in the back of his car I contemplated on how little there was to pack away. It had taken me hours to get everything sorted and yet when it came down to it all I really amounted to as a person was a small suitcase and two large black bin liners. Yeah, sometimes I felt a little like garbage, like something thrown away but then Chiyu and Jihi would be there to remind me… that I was in fact an idiot of epic proportions and in need of a brain bath.

And then we were on our way, down the main road and past the town's sign.

I didn't look back, not once except to stick my middle finger out of the roof window and towards the small town and scream "SAYONARA!" as we left. Jihi's boisterous laugh trailed for over a quarter of a mile before he looked over at his proclaimed niece out of the corner of his eye. For the first time in a long time I genuinely smiled.

The content look on his face made me feel warm inside.

I had frequently worried about how much the Sohma's had to pay for my education, for my room, food, expenses etc. Every time I brought it up they all looked at me as if I'd flown over a cuckoo's nest.

The same guilt found its way into my oesophagus the moment Jihi told me that I wouldn't need any of my old apartment furniture because he'd personally bought me some. 'Everything new' he told me. He wanted me to have a fresh start in the literal sense too.

It wasn't as though my aunt and uncle couldn't afford it. They were extremely wealthy and knew how to spend wisely since their childhood was a story of true frugal living.

But still the gesture troubled me. He slapped the back of my head the moment he saw the change in my expression though.

"None of that." He muttered.

I was a pretty lucky girl.

The drive to Karakura was loooonnnnggggg…

Hours…

The train would have been quicker but more cumbersome. Or at least that's what Jihi had explained to me. We took three small stops along the way for gas, food, bathroom etc and sped as fast as possible and yet it still took the whole day for us to reach home. Understandably, we got a little cranky towards the end of it.

"Step on it Jihi!"

"No car's going to get the best of me!"

"You're driving the _wrong_ _way_!"

"WHAT!"

"Crap, police sirens! Why did you have to turn so fast at the corner?"

"_You_ wanted to get home as much as _I_ did!"

"What do we do? THEY'RE GAINING ON US! CLOSE ENOUGH TO READ THE LICENSE PLATE!"

"AH SCREW THIS, I'M GOING TO LOOSE THEM!"

"WHAT? …JIHI! SLOW DOOOOWWWWWNNN!"

"SO LONG SUCCERS! MWAHAHAHAHAHA!"

Yeah, it was like that most of the time. We were almost stopped twice times by the cops. I have to say, though my uncle was nuts he's an awesome driver.

Karakura is a suburb near the centre of Tokyo but away from the hustle and noise of the city.

When we saw the approaching town sign we let out a euphoric cry of relief.

It already felt like home.

**KARAKURA TOWN**

The moment the car drove past the sign however I felt like I'd been kicked in the stomach.

The atmosphere felt heavy and full of… energy. _What the…? _

I felt as though I were being called to by something, as though hundreds of voices were whispering to me and yet I couldn't hear a single murmur. But even though the feeling was far from pleasant something on my spine and in my head relaxed. It felt as though my body had just sighed.

Home.

I didn't notice Jihi watching me as we drove closer.

* * *

**One Minute Ago Somewhere Close By…**

Wearing hats carries with it the useful function of covering half your emotional jargon with the only outlet being the expressions on ones face.

The man sitting casually on the tatami mat, watching as the world slowly turns on its axis is one such man who needn't carry such a tool though he wears one constantly.

He is a master of guising his sentimentality.

Such physical decoration can create useful barriers however.

Through his lazy posture and aloof facial expression you would never know that the man underneath it all will set the score for things to come. The man who knows it all, whose genius lies beyond the realm of-

"ACCHHHOOOWWWWEEEEPPPP! …Ah… allergies, poor, poor me. Boo hoo… I need a tissue."

…Never mind.

The man sniffled pathetically and leaned his already sitting form to reach his greenish tea. His subordinate, a man with enough pure muscle to put Arnold Schwarzenegger to shame, a man named Tessai had made this tea especially for him. However the man had a history of making disastrous concoctions more often than not putting the hat fitted thespian through rather hellish episodes of the runs. With some hesitancy the green kimono clad man sipped the drink.

…then stilled with an air of someone long used to remaining hidden amongst a sightless throng.

A small pressure pitter pattered its way up his spinal cord like fingers barely gracing his skin before settling lightly on his shoulders like mist.

It's an unusual sensation to feel so pulled to such a foreign object. The air around him seemed to change. It tingled and tensed before relaxing.

It was a very minor occurrence… something that shouldn't even be concerned about.

Except that it wasn't quite the same kind of 'feeling' expected to be 'sensed' within the border of Karakura town.

And finally… he exhaled. Something was there that hadn't been around 2 seconds ago.

The rim of the hat covering low over his eyes tilted upwards slightly. Darkness dwelled under the tip of the material as the man's eyes focused on nothing in particular. He frowned, pausing in his intake of tea and a whisper reverberated in his mind.

_What was that_?

Silence rained for a moment in the gloom of night.

For a full ten minutes he remained unmoving.

…And he mulled for a few moments…

…What with the future being kind of vague and their chances of survival existing within the single digits… and though indistinct their destinies lay on one of the many roads that would most likely end in pain and possible sorrow…

With the tea placed carefully at his side he stared deeply into the night, a pointed contrast to the lazy attitude he normally displayed. His eyes concentrated so intensely as if doing so would unveil the mysteries of life…

…Of the new comer within the town.

There was a … familiarity to it that went beyond his memory scope.

Then he sighed and stretched. No point worrying over a slight discharge of energy.

He yawned… then sneezed again.

_Or_ he could keep with his reputation and go to bed at an unpredictably early hour.

At least the tea hadn't been bad.

* * *

Karakura was huge.

I wasn't able to see much through the car windows as it was evening hours outside but if I strained my eyes I could _just_ see the town's outline. It should have been named a city; it was twice the size of my previous home.

There was a loneliness to it though that I almost choked on.

I was already suffering the anxiety about the obvious amount of investigating I would have to do to actually find my new school: Karakura High. I had to attend the entrance ceremony in 2 days.

"It's just here around the corner." Jihi said to me before smirking. "…It's big."

Chiyu and Jihi lived in Karakura old town; near the Karasu River, around the corner from Karakura General Hospital and a few minutes away from the train station.

The car turned into what I thought was quite a small street but my eyes widened and almost popped out when I instead realised it was actually a huge house, mansion, Onsen, hotel…

There were some trees behind it and the leaves played tunes on the windows.

The house was actually to the side of the Onsen, connected to both the reception area and kitchen.

Excitement and nerves hit me like a hurricane as I stepped out of the car. I wanted to run in and shout out to Chiyu, to hug Pei. I wanted to stay outside and wonder if I would be alright in this strange place.

Jihi strolled past me and opened the front doors of the Onsen.

Warm light bathed the gravel outside, the contrast to the darkness compelling and I could smell something welcoming from inside. I gulped at the homey feel of it. It had been a while since I had felt part of a family. Chiyu had written to me that sometimes the customers felt like family too and she knew many of them personally. I wondered briefly what that would feel like. Would they welcome _me_? Jihi winked affectionately in my direction before he strolled inside leaving the door open.

Placing a hesitant foot in front of the other slowly I heard a gleeful shout and a flurry of movement inside that stopped all movement from me and something blitzed out of the open door knocking the breath out of my form as it rammed into my chest and I staggered.

"You're here! You're _finally_ here- OH SHIT!"

Both of us toppled over and fell onto the concrete giggling.

Pei.

"Language Pei!"

I looked over Pei's shoulder from the ground and saw Chiyu smiling broadly at me with eyes a little too emotional for me to be use to.

Ah, who cares…

I smiled back, the first true smile that erupted on my face in… I didn't know how long… the smile of a child who missed her family and I was promptly glomped again by Pei, Chiyu and Jihi who joined us seconds later.

"Family hug!" He shouted and practically squeezed us all to death.

Chiyu sighed blissfully as the rest of us were crushed. "We haven't had one of these in _ages_."

One year to be precise.

"Dad, I can't breathe!" Wheezed Pei as she tried and failed to pull her head from under her fathers arm.

Jihi ignored her and whispered at me. "There's the smile I haven't seen in ages."

I blushed and squeezed back even though I wasn't use to hugs. I felt better already, as if I'd returned just in time… accept I'd never once been to Karakura. Hmm, better examine this feeling later.

Chiyu pulled me back to look me over once with a critical eye. She shook her head.

I felt a moment of De Ja' vu.

"You've changed so much. If you grow any taller you'll be a giant. Stop. Now." Chiyu glared at me.

_Isn't 'giant' what I call Jihi?_

Aunt Chiyu was a decent 5 foot four inches but I had just recently reached that very same mark. The last I'd checked was 4 months ago. I figured I'd be towering over her within a year; I always grew fast during the summer.

I rubbed my head sheepishly. "Er, I'll try… but I can honestly say I have little control over how tall I grow. I'll probably stop now anyway."

Pei hooked her arm across my shoulders and smiled fabulously. "Famous last words."

Jihi's large arms stretched across both mine and Pei's shoulders and he pulled us into his sides. I blinked calmly and Pei shouted. "Dad!"

"All my girls are finally together again." He said peacefully and Chiyu smiled softly at her husband.

Then Pei groaned as she slumped into her father's side. "Yeah, three years of high school for Mai and two years of dad shouting stupid questions at me in his fake classroom while mum steals my mornings to help her manage the Onsen where I get to see naked old guys prancing around and drinking sake… _let the good times roll_ _people_!" She ended sardonically with a thumb up gesture.

Jihi jumped back scandalised and I took the opening to duck away from him.

"Since when did you hate my lessons Sohma?"

Pei looked at her dad in confused defiance. "Since when did you call me by our last name _dad_?"

He pointed at her before shouting out. "You must raise your hand and call me teacher at all times!"

"But we're not even in class anymore!" Her small hands fisted. "And what's with the ridiculous outfit? You look like an Elvis reject! WITH BLOND HAIR!"

"I'll have you know that Elvis was the king of cool!"

Chiyu just started laughing as she dragged me inside leaving the other two to scream at each other nonsensically. She more or less pushed me into the warm reception area of the Onsen and took my jacket in her arms before linking my arm with her own. "It must have been a long drive Mai. Welcome home."

I gave a small smile back feeling like I'd smiled more today than I had in a year.

Chiyu kissed my cheek and gave a girlish sound of joy. "Oh girl, you've been missed. Pei's been so sullen and Jihi's missed your input… _and_ your attitude. He has a lot of hopes for you in Karakura."

My eyes bored into hers as I waited for what they might be but Chiyu just smiled again and shook her head. "I've missed having another girl around- oh sorry _woman_." She added suggestively and I raised an eyebrow.

"…What do you mean?"

Chiyu sighed and looked at me as though appalled at my sightlessness. "Mai, when we left a year ago, something I have been regretting daily, you were a quiet little skinny thing. Now, well you've filled out like Pei did but a little differently." She looked down at me speculating. "…Longer legs." She looked back up at me. "Brighter, more defined eyes, fuller lips. Hah! You'll be beating them off with a stick!"

I frowned at her. "I highly doubt it." Obviously Chiyu had been drinking sake too. "I'm only 15."

"You'll be sixteen in just two weeks!" Her eyes narrowed at me. "Mark my words. You'll be beating them away."

Sure.

Thankfully she left it at that.

She took me through to the house instead of the hotel. We passed through a comfortable looking office first before entering into a wide open area disconnected from the Onsen, a combination of living room and dining room. It was rather large and the furniture was comfortable and expensive. The TV had two large sofas with throw rugs over the backs in front of it, a traditional floor table (like a Kotetsu) with them. A larger dinner/breakfast table stood in front of an even greater kitchen area linked by an open space in the wall. Farthest from the main room was a small corridor that Chiyu ignored and a set of delightfully twisting stairs.

She led me up these and I was surprised to find a further set of stairs on the second floor.

"There's an extra room at the top. We thought you might like that one."

My head tilted in question and Chiyu smiled at me again, a little knowingly this time. "You've lived on your own for a year now; we thought you might want a little extra privacy."

I just nodded and said thank you beyond grateful.

My new room rocked.

It was huge, the bed already to one side. The corner window overlooked a part of Karakura town that appeared quite gothic at night, but what intrigued me was the window seat and the curtains that surrounded it about six feet away from the window itself. Dark mahogany wardrobes similar in colour to my hair and a desk had been placed in strategic areas around the room as well as a cream fluffy rug at the end of my new rather _large_ bed.

Jihi really did know how I liked my furniture; my aesthetic sense was always a little more masculine than most girls. There were a few ornaments here and there too. Panthers and wolves, one large dragon and a red/black statue of a bull.

I sighed happily and looked back at Chiyu who'd been watching for my reaction. She blinked at the honest appreciation in my eyes.

"Thank you _so much_. I have no idea how I'm ever going to repay you for any of-"

Her hand slashed through the air as she cut me off.

"Think nothing of it. Just live Mai, live a full life. It doesn't matter how you live, or even how long, just as long as you live it to the max. Make each day count."

* * *

Dinner had been a blissful affair.

Watching Jihi and Pei squabble over food, him telling her the best food for practicing mothers, she telling him she wouldn't _ever_ be a mother, him having an almost stroke from the insanity of her statement, stuff like that…

Chiyu asked me a few questions about my final year at a place I would never again refer to as home. I told her the simple truths leaving out any unwanted specifics, they didn't matter anyway, and I'd handled myself well at the time.

I'd passed my final year top… in every subject area, or at least everyone that mattered anyway.

After all that had been my intention.

As long as my reputation didn't follow me I could go to this new school worry free.

I'd had no boy trouble, or at least not _that_ kind of trouble.

And… I'd been given the chance to say goodbye to my dojo instructor.

Yeah, I did a little martial arts, the reason why I was so fit in the first place. I wasn't brilliant… I wasn't terrible. In fact I wasn't even sure at what level I truly was but there was a reason in the first place that made me join up.

Or rather Jihi had joined me up.

It was necessary at the time.

The dojo was closing down anyway when I'd left and the old man who taught me had given me a certificate and a medal made of pure gold. This medal he himself had won about 40 years before and gave to me as a reminder of what willpower alone can bring you when against serious opposition. He'd been proud of me and was probably the only person who was sorry to see the back of me.

I didn't have a black belt or anything… I wasn't _that_ cool.

Jihi wanted me to join a club at the school I was going to; something in athleticism, apparently they even had their own martial arts team. Jihi was the boxing/kickboxing teacher there just three days a week and he told me in an overly enthusiastic whisper, loud enough to be heard by everybody at the table (why do adults even do that anyway?) that there was some serious talent in the my first year group alone.

Chiyu wanted me to join an academic group, probably some sort of scholastic membership or even the chess club.

Of course neither adult would force me to do either as I wasn't their daughter to boss around but they gave very compelling arguments that lasted far too long into my much needed sleep time.

Pei wanted me to introduce her to some boys ASAP. She was a year older than me after all and a little deprived in that arena what with being home schooled and all. I promised her I'd try away from the ears of Pei's father who would kill me (probably crying hysterically while he was at it) and the ears of her mother who would plot to get me a boyfriend too.

I wouldn't even know what to do with a boy; I was extremely deficient in any knowledge of such things and therefore never thought about it all that much.

Nor did I care; until recently I was all about education.

I figured that maybe this year that should change; promoting hermit hood is practically maltreatment for your soul. People need feedback in order to improve socially.

I wasn't lying before about my complete lack of friends. Extenuating circumstances prevented any and all accumulation sadly.

I'd lost the will to try too.

And it wasn't just my past that prevented it either.

When I said I was odd earlier well… you don't know the half of it.

I… see things.

Have always seen things, ever since I was a child around seven years old.

I used to tell Jihi and Chiyu about it but I stopped when I was thirteen and they didn't mention it again either. They probably don't know how to handle it.

The things I see are everywhere, all the time…

…And they _are_ real no matter how many times I was bullied for talking to myself, or no matter the worried looks on the faces of my aunt and uncle.

I sometimes _feel_ things too.

The _feelings_ started as odd anxiety flashes or shivers and shudders. They turned into full on moments of pure intuition and revelation. Sometimes I wouldn't comprehend the feelings I felt.

Like when I arrived in Karakura.

In the other town I lived in the empty feeling had spurned other nauseating feelings into action, improving the ever increasing sensation that I wasn't supposed to be there.

That feeling left me the moment Jihi drove past the town sign and into my new home.

It was replaced by a cacophony of confused emotions, from anxiety to a sense of purpose I didn't understand, loneliness and yet a deep feeling of peace.

And another feeling… one that I _didn't_ recognise that lay on the edge of my other emotions and thoughts. It wasn't a necessary notion just yet but it was a feeling that made my stomach churn… and made me quiver in excitement.

Oh… and then there was fear. Big stinking pile of fear, right down my oesophagus and into my stomach.

I lay in my new bed that night, tired and glad of it. I'd gone up to my room a little later than intended having listened to Jihi have kittens about decorating my room. He actually liked painting, something the two of us had in common. I was fine with keeping it the neutral white it was but Jihi wanted something that gave it character, Chiyu wanted something that showed I was in fact female.

As if my newly grown breasts didn't more or less confirm my sex.

He wanted jade and gold…

…she wanted violet or peach.

I really didn't give a crap but Pei sorted it out in the end.

She decided and I agreed that I should have a misty, pale lilac.

She knew me well.

And that was that.

They were all going shopping the next day for paint and school ware.

Pei would lead me on a tour to the new high school; Jihi would buy the paint, Chiyu the school ware. I was already tense.

I just hoped that nothing went wrong in the coming weeks. I was like a magnate for the unexpected even if they were just small things and recently those small things had…_changed_ somewhat… and not necessarily in my favour.

* * *

I should have known I would dream.

It was the same as the night before only this time it was in detail, more vivid and even more perplexing.

The white monsters were chasing lucent children.

…And from the shadows they created on the floor came creatures of the dark who pulled themselves out of whatever abyss that they had been held into.

Cracks seemed to form in the sky and torturous screams echoed in the din of…

…War cries?

The sound of blade upon blade… the sounds travelled growing evermore quiet until silence rained.

It ended with a view of a throne seated in front of a pillar of stone, once beautiful but now corrupted. A place so amazingly white it seemed untouched and unreal.

I stepped closer towards it…

…A black claw slashed out to grab at my throat as a bestial snarl ripped at a high pitch across the wasteland…

My eyes snapped wide open as I woke amidst the beating drum of my heartbeat.

What… the _hell_… had that been about?

**THUMP, THUMP, THUMP, THUD.**

Footsteps… or maybe a stampede.

"MAI! MAI! _MAI_!"

My bedroom door crashed open and Pei flew right through it as she bombed onto her adopted sister's bed and hugged me tighter than I remembered Jihi doing the night before.

"THANK GOD!" She screamed in my ear. "I thought last night might have been a dream! You really did arrive."

Pei sighed happily and rolled on her back to stare up at the ceiling with me.

"Anything up there of interest Mai?" She asked dryly. "_Earth to Mai_?"

I pushed her head into the side of the pillow with my palm and smiled inside at the giggle it brought.

"Nah, I'm just… thinking."

She glanced at me. "Yeah, this is probably a big change for you huh?"

I did a half hearted shrug in response. "It doesn't matter. I'm just glad I'm here instead of… there. Know what I mean?" I felt her nod. After a moment I frowned. "Wait a second…"

I turned my head in Pei's direction and saw her staring at one of the wolf ornaments.

"You seem a little… _overenthusiastic_ about me being home." Home… I already thought of this place as home, I'd been there barely 5 minutes.

i saw Pei's lips quirk at my slip (admission) and I nudged her with my elbow. "Seriously. What's so great about me being here… other than the obvious." I added quickly when Pei's eyes narrowed at me; she was like her mother in that regard.

"Other than the fact that we all _missed_ you, idiot…" She started with a poke to my ribs that didn't hurt _at all_. "…It's …been a little quiet around here." I raised an eyebrow which made Pei sit up bringing me with her.

She used her hands to gesticulate when she talked, something she'd done since she was about five years old. She hadn't changed at all.

"Well, it's just me, mum, and dad here. Mum works all day next door and dad hammers me with stupidly difficult questions that no girl my age could _possibly_ answer. I haven't had much chance to meet new people." She smiled wistfully. "I've missed having my sister around."

I smiled and mussed up my already messed up hair while I stretched and yawned.

I stopped still however when I found Pei's eyes drawn to various places along my seated body, an analytical expression breaking across her face.

"Er, Pei? W-what is it?"

She looked back at me and I couldn't tell if she was actually angry or not.

Then Pei huffed and folded her arms.

"Typical. You just _had_ to grow into a female the moment my back was turned." She unfolded her arms and pointed at me drastically, her eyes large and bloodshot. "We have some _serious_ shopping time to get caught up on!"

Then she pointed her hand to the ceiling in a theatrical pose. "GET DRESSED, NOW! TIME TO SHOP TILL WE DROP!"

_Wha…? _Was she on something? Suffering from withdrawal maybe?

She stopped at the door and turned back before leaving.

Her eyes narrowed again and I swore I saw a sparkle. "Meet me downstairs in an hour… or else I'll _come find you_." Then her face turned evil in mischief. "Your shopping allowance will be _huge_ and I can't spend any more than I have already this month." Her hands covered her mouth in sheer excitement and a waterfall cascaded behind her. "I _WILL_ get that cashmere sweater from the new western department store! THIS IS GOING TO BE SO MUCH FUN! I FEEL SOOO ALIVE!"

On second thought, I wondered as she watched Pei speed down the stairs hollering, she really _is_ her father's daughter after all.

Sometimes it was surprising to hear the same crap spew from her mouth that Jihi harps on about.

I shook my head exasperatedly and got up to shower, too use to Pei's personality to care anyway.

Pei, like me, looked nothing like her parents. She had cropped silky black hair and almost black eyes. Pretty and petit but don't let that fool you. She was like a whirlwind at times, a bit oppressed, almost _completely insane_ but very caring, affectionate and considerate.

Maybe it was because we were so different that we got a long so well. I needed to reaffirm my opinion of my personality but what I knew so far was that…

When Pei carried on about something I listened… when I talked however briefly she listened back. Sometimes I could see it on her face; Pei took me very seriously and valued my opinion. I gave my opinion readily and would make Pei laugh when I wasn't even trying to be funny.

Sometimes Pei would pull out pieces of my personality I thought were buried; my fun side, my insane teenager side but it would all involuntarily go back under lock and key afterwards.

And Pei understood.

She was a romantic, a vibrant flower that for some reason inexplicable reason liked spending time with me, the little lost girl in shades of grey.

We were sisters in anything but blood. She may have been a year older but that made no difference whatsoever to me. Though I would never admit it, Pei made me giggle… and I made her careful.

Pei could be a bit of a danger magnate too sometimes…

* * *

Shopping with my relatives…

…How should one describe it?

…Freaking exhausting?

…More fun than I'd planned?

…Revealing?

Chiyu had tried her hardest to make me wear a purple dress she'd bought for me only days before. I had simply stared at her until she backed down with an eye roll.

Never in a million years would I wear a dress.

Instead I put on my black jeans and buttoned shirt, two open at the top, two at the bottom. Then I put on my calf boots that could kick down doors and put my hair up in a high ponytail.

They were normal clothes but the moment I stepped into the front room (with boots in hand) all heads whipped towards me making me sweatdrop.

"What?" My eyebrow twitched.

Tears slid down Jihi's face which contradicted heavily with his conflicted scowl. "I don't know what to _do_! She's gone so… so… _womanly_! And I'm happy she's blossoming, I am! But now she'll have boys chasing after her! I will not stand for such scandalous behaviour! Chiyu!"

He ran to his wife and flung his arms around her. "WHAT DO I DO? WHAT DO I DO CHIYU?"

She just patted his back and shook her head, exasperated. "Honey, didn't you say just last night that you were annoyed at not having the chance to beat the boys away from your dear Princess Pei-Pei?"

"STOP CALLING ME THAT!" Pei howled from the sofa, pulled out of her gazing.

Jihi ignored her and looked down at his wife. "Huh?"

Chiyu shrugged with an innocent smile. "Now's your chance."

For a moment all was quiet.

Then Jihi started to chuckle and it was really rather sinister too. The obligatory black horns protruded from his scalp and his eyes darkened.

He grinned sadistically. "Of course Mai, of _course_ bring boys home. Bring them… yes bring them back… to be _tested_. They'll wish they've never been born once I'm through with them HAHAHAHA!"

All I could see was the inside of his mouth as he laughed manically to the sky above.

"I think it's a little too early to be thinking about that just yet Uncle."

He didn't hear me, he was still giggling uncontrollably.

Sigh.

"So what was wrong with my outfit?" I asked the room at large.

Chiyu side stepped around her zoned out husband. "It was just unexpected. You made simple clothes look, er… what's that word?" Her head tilted in thought.

"Cool." Added Pei with a nod. "I couldn't pull that off." She added.

"But I _can_ pull off this!" She stepped from behind the couch and showed off her miniskirt that revealed a good forty feet of leg. I blinked and raised my eyebrows. "What do you think Mai? Like flies to the honey? It really should be bees now that I think about it…" She pondered.

"TAKE THAT OFF THIS INSTANT!" Roared Jihi who was brought back to earth with a bang.

"NO WAY, I'M GOING OUT WITH MAI TODAY! SHOPPING!"

"IT'S TOO SHORT!"

"I'LL BE SEVENTEEN IN FOUR MONTHS!"

"_STILL_ TOO SHORT! YOU ARE NOT GOING OUT WITH US DRESSED LIKE THAT! OFF! NOW!"

We left about 20 minutes later. It took that long to persuade Pei to wear a skirt with a bit more length. It still looked good but nonetheless she glared at her father as we walked into the busier parts of town.

We split a little while later and entered the school clothes shop to get me measured. The woman at the counter looked up at us and blinked. "For a first year student you're a tall one."

No shit Sherlock.

Come on, I wasn't _that_ tall. I was only an inch taller than Pei.

It took a while to get me the right equipment and while we waited I noticed one obvious problem with the whole situation.

I realised it when Chiyu started fawning over the school skirts and my eyes widened comically.

They were _tiny_… almost as revealing as Pei's miniskirt… they were a freaking belt! Hell no!

An obvious lure for perverted freshmen, juniors, seniors, whatever… _teachers_, eww.

Chiyu looked back at me with a smile a mile long and a twinkle in her eye. She was envisioning me wearing a skirt after a year of not seeing me in one.

Wasn't going to happen.

"I am not wearing that." I said firmly.

It's funny how Chiyu can turn form loving aunt to carnivorous tiger.

Her eyes turned squinty and her aura darkened. "You're a girl, you _will_ wear it."

"Not a chance, forget it." I said indifferently.

"All girl's wear them!"

"Not this one. I'll wear pants."

"The pants are for _boys_!" She screeched and I swear her hair crackled with static energy.

We were head to head now, with me looking down at her, a vein on my forehead throbbing. "There are some for girls too!"

"Don't lie to get out of wearing the skirt!"

We heard a polite cough. "Er, Actually…"

Our heads whipped around to the polite shop assistant. I tried to ignore Pei as she laughed herself hoarse at me.

"There are pants for females, it's just… none of them are worn. The skirts are surprisingly popular." The timid shop girl added with a nervous laugh as she showed us wear the women's pants were kept.

I watched Pei eye up the skirt with a forlorn look on her face. "I'd definitely wear them," she sighed.

"Of course you would… and use them as allure for oversexed boys."

Chiyu patted her daughter's shoulder. "At least _someone's_ got their priorities straight."

Her eyes narrowed at me and huffed at my completely unimpressed expression.

The pants were almost the same as the males except on the hip and waist line. They left room for womanly growth.

"Your butt's going to look so good in them."

Pei wasn't prompted to say anything more when I looked at her. I ignored Chiyu as she sobbed at my lack of femininity.

After that we went sight seeing… or rather Pei took me to all her favourite stores so that we could both get a whole new wardrobe for the summer. The guilt I felt on being a monetary burden the previous evening came back in full but I wasn't even allowed to talk to Chiyu… because Chiyu was cheering us on.

It was our girl day apparently… whatever that was suppose to be.

But _now_ I know that a girly day entails shopping until you're pulling your hair out (quite literally in my case), eating copious amounts of desert until we puke (in Pei's case) and spying on my new school (in all our cases; I hadn't wanted a manicure) since Pei had never been to a school, Chiyu wanted to see if there were any cute boys for the both of us (as if there would be anyone there now) and me… I wanted to compare it to what I was used to.

It was bigger and brighter than I was use to… cleaner, more welcoming.

We only passed the place, we didn't investigate the area.

It was over on the east side of Karakura; basically it was a bit of a stretch. They left me for a little while after that to rendezvous with Jihi, letting me get use to the streets and roads around the school. We'd been walking for a while before Pei started to complain about getting tired, she wasn't use to the exercise so I told Chiyu it would be completely fine to go without me for a while.

I walked.

Around the school, through roads and streets, back into town where I ended up on a small hill overlooking east Karakura.

I inhaled and slowly exhaled.

There was something so… _strange_ about this town.

The whole time I was moving I'd felt as though I was walking through the ocean.

Life existed within every wall and fixture and yet I couldn't see it. I could just feel the different frequencies.

I'd deliberately focused on the strange feeling I received yesterday so the unusual heaviness of the atmosphere was much more present. The ambience surrounded the town.

It felt like a curious tentative pressure, one that doesn't bear down on you in weight but rather relates the feeling that there are layers to Karakura town. Layers that withhold secrets and life unknown. That Karakura town is one of the most (if not _the_ most) verve filled areas on the planet.

I wasn't sure if this was supposed to mean something or whether it was an extremely negative characteristic for a town to have but…

…the feeling had also welcomed me.

It also made me want to try something that I haven't tried in years.

I closed my eyes, my hands by my sides and I relaxed. A weak breeze blew my ponytail and the hair on my arms rose as I focused. Then I opened up that sense I have, the one I've tried to ignore but until recently had been getting too hard to resist.

I pushed it out of me like a pulse and I searched…

At first it was difficult.

My minds eye travelled silently through the various blocks nearby…

Ah… there they are.

I found Jihi, Chiyu and Pei waiting for me about ten minutes away…

I couldn't see them, not really but I could feel their presence…

…But if I was with them in person and if I actually tried I would also be able to see their life force, or better yet their aura.

People have an energy that exists within us and all around us. Even with the dead. This energy can't be quantified or explained in any way. It just exists. A universal phenomenon.

It was this ability that first allowed me to see… them.

Ghosts.

When I was a child (about 4 years old) I would follow the 'pretty lights' around as if they were fireflies in the summer air… because that's all they were at first. Lights. Glowing figures of various kinds of energy; each displaying a different attitude of tone, some strong, some weak.

Now that I don't need to always use it to sense them anymore, it… well it's as if it dissolved back into my consciousness the moment the ability became unnecessary. But sometimes it would activate all by itself as if it had its own instinctive switch.

I slowly opened my eyes and almost gasped.

In front of me stood a young woman… her clothes and hair were drenched as if drowned…

…Which she probably _had_ been…

The area around us seemed to darken and no words could work their way out of my mouth; it was too dry, the atmosphere to heavy.

She wasn't in colour; just a dank grey…black…white…

Her wet hair covered her eyes as her hand stretched out towards me…

Her body flickered…

The vision vanished a moment later.

Had that been a… ghost?

I tried to breathe normally as I searched my eyes over the area.

No one else had seen it.

I put my hands in my pockets and shuffled off to find my second family, keeping my head down the whole way there.

* * *

I could ignore it… I _would_ ignore it.

It would be okay if I chose to pay no attention to the things that only I could see… right?

I mean at least until I'm settled in at school.

I didn't want to have the image painted of myself by others coloured so early on. Of course it really didn't matter what other people thought of me, I made my opinion on that very clear years ago. But I just wanted my time in high school to not be like my time in middle school.

And yet…

Crap.

I really could _not_ ignore a vision.

For one thing I hadn't received one in years.

Dreams are one thing, seeing a ghost is another but visions…

They appear when you least expect, often bringing with them a message or warning.

And always… ALWAYS… they are followed by unnatural phenomena. The type that didn't usually mean good things for me… Oh awesome.

This really didn't help things. I was difficult enough to get to know as it is. My personality has the natural propensity to piss people off… or at least it did in middle school…

And if I tell the absolute truth I purposely fanned those flames daily. Not much, I just gave people little pushes that's all.

But that finished after my first year in middle school. It didn't stop people from hating me forever afterwards and it meant little to me until recently when the loneliness kicked in. It's strange… You don't know you're lonely until its smacking you in the face.

No… now I was just worried about the ominous apparition. You know the one with the drowned dead girl reaching out to me with her corpse hands…

It had been precisely 4 years since I'd last had a vision.

Beautiful.

I'm screwed aren't I?

Definitely.

I have never been able to help… helping people. Whether they are living or dead it made no difference. Did that make me a good person or was I just nosey? I wasn't sure, but I felt that it was in my nature to do so.

Plus, you know, realising you're not completely useless has its advantages.

I walked home with my surrogate family in silence casting furtive glances in all directions, noticing not for the first time how odd this town was.

There were ghosts here there and everywhere. The whole place was lit up. Alight with energy.

I saw Pei glance at me to my right and I pushed back the surrounding noise.

"Are you o.k. there Mai?" Great, I'd made her concerned with my silence.

I gave a small smile. "Yeah… just taking it all in." I gestured at the small city encircling us. "It's bigger than I thought it would be."

Pei smiled at me and I breathed a sigh of relief that I'd fooled her. She wasn't anywhere near ready to hear about the other side of my life. "Yeah well, I bet any place is better than the last huh?"

"Yeah…" I sighed.

Better? Definitely.

More trouble? …Without a doubt.

"Bet you're looking forward to school though right? You better make tons of friends otherwise I'll be coming down there to see what their problem is!"

Pei really did worry too much about me.

* * *

My room, smelling of fresh paint (Jihi did the honours) was covered in shadows. I lay in my bed the next night, the night before my High School inauguration and could only manage a sort of stare at the ceiling in an anxiety filled half doze.

I really do gaze up a lot.

Images flickered there, shapes formed from the light of the silver moon through my open curtained window.

The pictures were of such a precise manner that I had to wonder if they had been pilfered from my dream memory core. And why would I see so many samurai like beings dressed in various and slightly exaggerated versions of the Edo era fashions, in particular noble samurai and the battle of Sekigahara warrior outfits.

Hmmm… illuminating. What was the point of dreaming about black kimono clad samurai? Or red armoured warriors?

It's this town it has to be.

The vision… the woman's appeal for… help?

How could I feel so completely at home and yet so disturbingly altered and exposed in a town that I felt had many watchful eyes?

Comfortable but afraid. Was this an even remotely reconcilable combination?

I couldn't even pinpoint the focus of my fear either. And the energy? Could it perhaps pertain to the energy of the inhabitants of Karakura? That wouldn't be at all strange but still… I've never felt it in such a strong and vivacious quantity.

The best way to describe what I was feeling would be to say that some part of my brain, an area that had once been only half awake was opening its other eye. Very slowly.

Anyway I have other more important things to worry about.

Like school.

Tomorrow.

Lots of lively, robust, confusing and downright intimidating teenagers my age hoping for the opportunity to fit in.

The perfect chance to outcast the outcast.

I groaned inwardly, turned over and shoved my face into my pillow.

Pei's hope for future male contacts quickly diminishing in a wave of smoke as I realised the chances of me finding or having any of the other girls and boys even look at me in a friendly manner never mind outright befriending me was decreasing along with the downward spiral of my thoughts.

I don't know, maybe I'm biased. I have no idea what I'm going to be like tomorrow.

If anyone up there likes me, please allow me to succeed where I have failed these past 4 years; help me to fit in. And if I must stand out, have it be in such a way that maybe just maybe it's for a perfectly good and honest reason.

Let it be for someone other than myself.

* * *

The morning came with the blaring of my new CD player and alarm radio. My favourite bands making me jump out of bed in a flash of noise only to search the room for the imaginary intruder or a broken window.

Sighing and shaking my thick head of hair at my stupidity I strolled into the bathroom to wash my face: I shower at night. Sometimes music helps quieten my nerves and plus: bedroom come bathroom! I have my own shower, toilet, sink, window, phone etc. Heaven and pure luxury I felt I didn't deserve.

Passing the other rooms on my way downstairs; my school bag already with me, my hair tied quite complicatedly in a plat that looked even better when it was a little messed up; strands of my hair (more like a fringe) sweeping into my face and falling into my eyes, onto my cheeks etc. My pants where on and my shirt was under an unbuttoned school girl blazer. I was just attempting to fasten on my wristwatch when I heard clanging and water being sloshed about. I stepped closer to the noise and ended up in front of Pei's open bedroom door.

She was sat in her pj's on her cream carpet (her room was floral pink…eww) and was shaking what was once a large jar of pickled onions.

Now however, there was what looked like two straw like effigy dolls in the pickled juice with bits of string to differentiate between male and female. A book lay open next to her leg: Voodoo - How to curse and punish people using household items.

_Huh?_

She shook the jar again and then slowly turned her head in my direction; her eyes too big and her voice toned with a deliberate monotonous glaze. I hid a smirk.

"…My parents need to be punished." She said, deadpan.

Eyebrows raised I looked at her for a moment before nodding and peered back down at my watch as I finished fastening it and spoke with total indifference. "Good luck with that." She nodded back; just one head bob as I walked downstairs.

My aunt and uncle had rowed with her the previous evening when she had all but begged to attend the same school as me. The 'no' that came was final and though it wasn't anything to do with me I had to wonder if they were being somewhat harsh.

Leaving the house I reminisced a little on the conversation I'd had with Jihi earlier.

I'd just finished breakfast when Jihi came strolling in wearing a perfectly ironed three piece suit. When I asked what it was for he'd looked at me as if _I_ were the dumb one and told me he was teaching Pei this morning. "Do I look like a teacher? I look good right?"

I should stop expecting serious answers or at least one's that I understand.

Then I'd asked a question as he read the morning newspaper.

"Jihi?"

"Mmm?"

"Is it… _bad…_ that I haven't had a friend in well…" I did the math. "About four years?"

"…No. No it isn't bad Mai."

I nodded relieved.

Then he sighed and shook his head.

"It's _sad_, _that's_ what it is!"

"…Thanks Jihi."

"No seriously! You need to gain some new perspectives, get out there! If you don't have five new numbers on your phone by the end of next week-"

"Alright! I get it! I promise! Five new numbers!"

Geez.

Then Chiyu cornered me as I left the house through the Onsen.

"Are you sure you don't need a lift to school Mai?"

I thought for a moment on how it would for me to be driven to school knowing full well that the majority of students took themselves or rode the bus. It was a perfect recipe for wedges to be seen being taken to school by my substitute parents.

I quickly shook my head. "No, that's alright Chiyu."

Chiyu cocked her head at me as she folded extra towels. She looked at me again with a contemplative expression and I looked back, my face blank. She was worrying about me.

"Are you sure? This isn't a 'hey I'm so cool, like a cucumber and do everything solo' act is it?"

I shook my head at her. "I'm not cool."

School was a little disconcerting.

Seeing it empty was completely different to seeing it teeming with hyperactive students. Busy didn't come close to describing it.

I stood at the gates and the reams of students passed me as the wind made the loose strands of my hair fly this way and that. The palms of my hands were sweating and my throat was dry.

Why was this so difficult?

And I could sense the strange ambience again in the air; it probably had something to do with having the building now jam packed but the school seemed to have suddenly adopted what appeared to be close to 1000 bright lights all with differing strengths of verve. The town's 'lights' were strongest in the student population.

I forced my brain to ignore it and I took out my day plan. There was a ceremony after which all students were to then meet up in their dorm class rooms for a lengthy meeting before a short introduction, which was to be given by the elderly headmaster… whose hairdo looked completely 'out-there'. Pretty cool for an old man.

My nose was buried in the roster when I heard a loud squeal followed by a cry. I whipped around thinking there was some young girl in trouble and trying in vain to force down the almost overwhelming need to both intervene and run when I saw…a _guy_…crying; big fat canals of pearly tears streaming down his face as he all but screamed at someone who was looking at him as though he were simultaneously wondering how on earth he was friends with the guy and what the hell he was yelling about.

I was about fifteen feet from them. They were stood in front of the board that was placed on the side of the main building were each pupil was supposed to register; I'd already seen several do so.

The one who was crying had brown hair that reached his collarbone and the look of a guy who accepted everything he'd ever seen in over-the-top cinematic Technicolor.

His friend had bobbed black hair and an innocent face briefly marred by the cunning yet candid glint in his eyes.

The first started whimpering. "Kurosaki and Yasutora! I heard they're attending the same high school as us man!"

"Yeah, so?" His friend didn't seem so interested.

"This is serious! They have the worst reputations! Apparently they start fights, drink, smoke and read porn magazines for hours and hours on end! We're SCREWED MIZUIRO! THIS KUROSAKI GUY EVEN BLEACHES HIS HAIR!"

This… Mizuiro? …He finally looked up at his friend and shrugged. "We don't really know what they'll be like until we get to know them… huh?"

Something seemed to catch his eye as his friend's jaw dropped at the idea of becoming friends with the reputed trouble makers.

Trouble makers… I knew better than anyone not to believe rumours. And that there's usually a lot more going on behind the masks we wear then we may ever know.

I tilted my head and wondered what I would do if I were forced into the very situation I had tried to avoid for the past two years. Then I frowned when I realised I hadn't thought about it.

A little silly of me really.

Curious though, I watched as the shorter of the two (black hair) pointed at the board and the hysterical one moved his head towards it and blinked twice with a dramatic pause between blinks.

Then he started to shake as a trembling finger sought out a name on the white leaflet. I could just hear him mumble. "W-what? B-both of them! I-I…Ich…"

He took a breath and before he could utter a girlish scream of terror and foreboding the wall a foot above their heads burst open. I mean bits of brick and plaster raining all over the place as a group of boys fighting were shoved through it…

Or rather forced through.

I caught an impressive glimpse of two first years (my year) kicking and punching two guys, their expressions of total nonchalance as they flew over the heads of the other two first years to land a few metres away from them. They stood straight backed and… _tall_ (way taller than me… or at least they looked that way) as they examined the group that had formed around them; boys who looked a little too old to be first years.

I knew the type. Rough nuts and punks who think they own people by beating them into submission. It would have been miserable and kind of scary to have that happen in front of you on your first day but as I stood there and watched the two first years being surrounded all I could do was admire.

Their passive expressions contradicting the situation they'd been forced into made the whole thing seem like a comic book scene.

They must be used to this kind of treatment and had it sown into their everyday routines as something that _had_ to be dealt with; a chore. Routine.

Just by looking at them I could tell that they could more than hold their own. I felt sort of out of place too. You know the feeling right? …When a girl who doesn't know anything about being popular is confronted by other teenagers, especially boys, who are so obviously 'popular material' that you feel that you shouldn't even be standing in their presence.

And yet I didn't move.

I watched knowing the scene having had it play out in front of me so many times in the past. Just different people, different faces…

I blinked when I focused on the world outside of the inevitable fight ring. The students were going haywire and the brown haired kid was spazing. I mean seriously, he was crying and shouting with his hands on his head as if he were on fire. I could hear him again.

"Oh my God! This is actually happening! Both Kurosaki and Yasutora are actually attending the same high school as us! And there's a fight! They're _fighting!_ With other people of suspicious character! OUR HIGH SCHOOL DAYS ARE OVER BEFORE THEY EVEN BEGAN!"

His friend sweatdropped but more or less let him vent his fears.

Then one of the guys, the biggest, ugliest one stepped up behind the freak-out brown headed boy and said something I didn't hear.

Unbeknownst to him his friend had already walked over to the two so called delinquents and had started introducing himself. The big guy looked perversely pleased about this as he cracked his knuckles together and his laugh turned sadistic (though kind of funny, the guy had a bit of a lisp) as he said and hummed words in a rhyme of his own making… to which the crying smaller one whimpered and started to shout out for his friend only to find that he wasn't there anymore.

The big guy punched brown head in the stomach. Brown head went down and the big guy stepped on him as he stared over at the trio, his face a contortion of… just plain… yuck. He looked retarded; it was difficult for me to fear.

But when the brown head yelped in pain my fist clenched by its own accord. I swallowed down the urge in my gut but found myself stepping forward anyway bumping into some second year girls who looked like they'd claw me if I came any where near them again.

Oh God…What the hell was I doing?

* * *

**Mizuiro**

The somewhat fearless (or extremely dumb) group of notorious delinquents drove a ring around Yasutora and Kurosaki as they waited for their boss to signal them into action.

But to Mizuiro they were just background noise.

He suffered from Ataraxia: a condition characterised from freedom of worry or any other preoccupation.

It made it relatively easy to do certain things in his life because of this… when at other times it made him feel somewhat too detached for his own good.

…Something that would change today.

He'd gone right up to the two apparent terrors that Keigo seemed to fear so much and introduced himself.

They both looked pretty light really, none of that aggressively macho aura that bullies seemed to seep. The orange haired one just looked at him with the same expression of total calm that had remained on his face since he'd burst through the wall. Except this time with clear, curious eyes.

He'd poked a thumb behind him at his ridiculously tall Mexican friend and said, "Class 1-3 huh? Well I'm Ichigo Kurosaki and this is Yasutora Sado."

Mizuiro nodded with a polite smile and pointed at Keigo. "That's my friend Keigo Asano."

Keigo was being stomped on and was wheezing at Mizuiro.

"…Is he alright?" Kurosaki asked dubiously.

"Yeah… he's just a little over the top. He may act like an idiot but he's really smart. He's actually much nicer than I am."

He'd said it all with such an expression of candid honesty.

And it surprised Ichigo Kurosaki.

He scratched the back of his neck. "Huh… most people don't speak about their friends like that. Hey Mizuiro? How good are you at making up excuses?" This he asked as he walked by Mizuiro and began to stretch.

Mizuiro just stared and wondered why. "…Pathologically so."

A grin as Yasutora joined him. "Good… because I'm going to need a great excuse for when I save your friend."

And Kurosaki shot off like a bullet, well not really but it is fun to be imaginative, and slammed into Ooshima with a spin kick to his side. The dude soared like a bird before crashing like a rock into the same wall Kurosaki and Yasutora had burst clear through…

…And in the process he almost flattened a modest looking brunette who was currently clinging to the wall, stiff and shocked in reaction as the body landed less than two inches to her right.

Both Yasutora and Kurosaki blinked as everyone looked on and sweatdropped.

"Huh?"

Yeah… 'Huh' would be a very good expletive to use here… she could have died…_woops!_

The girl let out a sound that was halfway between a strangled laugh and a surprised yelp as her arms dropped out of her silly wall-crawl pose. Paper fluttered the area around her; probably knocked out of her hands by Oshima.

Kurosaki scratched the back of his head. "I could have sworn she wasn't there a second ago." Then he shrugged, cool as a cucumber and dodged dude number two… oh yeah there was a whole group of the nutters.

Mizuiro smiled on the inside, that being perhaps not the best apology on the face of the earth. He backed off as the fighting started to enter a whole other level of serious and began to mentally concoct his next glorious excuse.

The rest of the gang had yelled for their boss and scurried forward to his defence but most were flattened by Yasutora's punches and Kurosaki's impressive martial arts play. The guy hadn't broken a sweat.

Mizuiro watched serenely as Keigo more or less curled into the foetal position with his arms over his head as he waited for the fight to end. He had a few cuts and bruises on his face and Mizuiro figured he'd go one about it for days few days at least.

Then Mizuiro started.

The girl who had been backed into a corner had somehow navigated her way through the pandemonium to Keigo's side and was trying to get him to move out of the way of the heavy bodies fighting for supremacy. The only problem with this was that his friend thought that she was one of the attackers… an assailant whose primary attack was to gently nudge obviously, but it didn't make a difference to Keigo.

"Ahh another one! STOP ATTACKING ME!"

_Right…_

The girl looked down at him bewildered for a moment as if she wasn't sure of how to respond to that before biting down on her lower lip.

The vulnerability of the gesture was heightened when Mizuiro, Yasutora _and_ Kurosaki all saw from their peripheral vision one of the hoodlums run at her from the side like a rabid ape and before even one of them could shout, go to her aid, throw something, cause a diversion by running around in a tutu (you never know) she'd grabbed the left side of her school bag that had been hanging loosely from her arm and propelled it into the guys gut. He doubled over, gasping. Then, with grace, the girl had calmly retrieved her book bag and raised it in the air in both hands bringing it down swiftly on his head. He went down with a thump.

She turned back to Keigo and bent over to check on him.

_Whoa…_

…_hmm…_

…_Er…_

The resounding thoughts of the 3 good guys; guess who was who.

* * *

**Mai**

I'd almost blown it. My whole plan nearly blown to smithereens over one moment of weak control. And it was my first day at school, my first hour.

I'd gotten behind the head gang member or whoever he was before my brain had finally understood that what I was about to do would probably get me expelled quicker than being fired out of a cannon.

My body had stepped several steps back to hit the wall next to the announcement board and I took a deep breath… followed by another as I closed my eyes and willed my hands to cease fisting. Swallow and reduce my heart rate. Try to calm. I wasn't being attacked, this wasn't my old school and no one here had even noticed my existence yet. If I were a bit careful I could escape before that changed.

When my eyes opened I saw a body flying hard and fast towards me.

"WHA!"

More or less all I could achieve was that useless gesture that most people carry out in defence of flying objects on an inbound course for your face. My arms flew up and one of my legs braced the side of the wall as the body cracked to my right, the sheet of papers in my arms going everywhere. I looked like a complete idiot as the most moronic of sounds escaped my lips like a dying animal.

Well, I was a little stunned. That body could have knocked me right out for the count.

But then I heard someone speak and I wasn't sure if I should be offended or not.

"I could have sworn she wasn't there a second ago."

The guy who said it wasn't looking at me directly, he was more interested in the sight of whoever it was he'd just laid out next to me. The danger was his top priority not the girl who had just happened to be passing by. He scratched his head and shrugged.

Okay then.

I hadn't been concentrating on him either until this moment anyway but was gratified when he turned because as soon as he did I began to stare, no gape.

At his hair.

His hair was the most beautifully audacious shade of the colour orange I'd ever seen.

And then I had to snap out of whatever funk _that_ was as all hell broke loose.

The rest of the ring of bad guys charged both the orange head and his dark friend whose skin colour was also stunning beyond compare. They both stood out like sore thumbs amongst the midst of gang rejects… and then I realised that maybe this was why they were being targeted.

I tiptoed around the edge of the fight ring stumbling on a fallen senior and jumping around two guys who were trying and failing miserably to tackle the tanned Mexican.

I was trying to make it over to the fallen boy; for some odd reason, instead of trying to run away from the middle of the fight zone he'd curled into a ball and was mumbling what sounded like his own version of a prayer to whatever god existed out there.

When I tried to nudge him and get his attention he'd screamed at me.

"Ahh another one! STOP ATTACKING ME!"

O-okay… right, got you. Won't do it again. I was a wus. I didn't know how to deal with people; I didn't have a lot of experience in that field. Remember my impressive lack of friends?

Biting my lip I tried to think of a way to move him before we both got trampled and without scaring him into thinking I'm insane and therefore start another set of rumours about me.

And then some class clown attempted to trounce me to my left. Obviously he didn't care about the whole male/female disparities as his fist came up… So I'd acted on instinct. I swerved my bag around into his gut as hard as I could (this guy wasn't by any means an athlete) and he'd doubled over in the shock of having air punched out of his lungs. Then before he could recover I simply slammed my backpack on top of his head.

He'd wake up soon enough. No permanent damage.

And I'd made sure to not use my fists. For someone like me… it can prove an unhealthy habit.

I'll tell you some other time.

I went back to check on Keigo who hadn't moved an inch. And then a thought of unmitigated inspiration hit me as my head served up a useful memory: Pei did something the other day, something I wasn't used to and my response was hilarious even from _my_ point of view.

I bent over him and bit my lip again hoping the boy wouldn't take offence and praying that the dancing feet of fighting drawing steadily closer would wait a minute.

I put my hands on his side and pressed my digits into the more cushy fat deposits that 15 year old boys haven't managed to drop quite yet. Then I moved my fingers in a similar cadence that Pei used against me and I felt him squirm before he shot up giggling like a school girl (wait I just insulted myself!). His eyes were still wide as they locked onto my own.

He blinked at me. "Huh… What are you…?" Then his eyes flickered behind me and he jumped. "OH CRAP!"

He tried to point in warning but it was useless.

I was hit hard in the back and I went down the same way. Someone else rolled with me as if they'd just decided to plough me into the ground without first working out the mechanics of such an action.

I 'ooffed' as I hit dirt. I should have pushed at the guy, or stopped my own fall but I waited for some reason.

Actually I was just surprised more than anything that I'd been jumped.

By 'Chicken Head'.

The bully who'd started the fight in the first place had me pinned down to the floor. I couldn't tell what grade he was in as he looked down at me puzzled; his face practically spelled 'moron' in big capital letters.

"H-hey! Leave her alone Oshima! _She didn't do anything_!"

Wow… the brown headed boy was actually trying to help me.

But Chicken Head (I like my name for him better) just glared at him until he whimpered. "Piss off Kwego… She inter-in- ta uh! She got in my way! She has to pay!"

Wait… Kwego?

I tried, I really did to muffled the giggle that slipped out of me and saw 'Kwego's' lip twitch too.

Chicken Head rounded on me. "Got something to sway dead beat? You'll be deader fhan fhat copy cat Kurosaki by fhe time I'm done with you."

I suppressed the disgusted shiver at the images my mind played out for me as to what being 'done with me' might entail.

As polite as possible and without any remote hint of condescension I spoke.

"Do you have a lisp? Because if you do I would avoid saying… er, what's your name?" I looked over at Keigo from my _comfortable_ position on the floor and saw him looking at me totally bemused. "Sorry I didn't catch it. It obviously isn't 'Kwego'." I waited… And ignored the growing agitation on Oshima's face as he slowly started to understand that I was in fact insulting him.

Still confused the brown haired one spoke slowly. "…It's Keigo." His eyes flickered to Chicken Head and back to me. He still cowered and I could tell he was waiting for some assistance from another male. My position on the floor was probably making him feel more helpless and I figured I should stop playing the weak little girl and get up.

But at least I had a name to a face. I brightened. "Nice to meet you!-"

"Hey, I'm talking to you bitch!"

Okay… now I really wanted to kick his ass. Screw my internal promise; I was already close to snapping.

Chicken Head had had enough of me apparently and grabbed the back of my neck in one of his large fumbling hands to pull me up off the ground. I pretended to wince and I heard Keigo shout out again.

Then I pivoted on one foot, forcing him to drop his hold and aimed a blow to the side of his neck using the right side of my right forearm. He staggered and coughed as I retreated to Keigo's side who was looking at me as though I'd just sprouted wings and I fought to control the urge to beat Chicken Head into submission.

"_What was that?"_ Keigo whispered as he freaked at me.

I raised my eyebrows and shrugged.

_I_ couldn't even explain my actions the majority of the time why start now. Keigo just stared at me. And then his eyes trailed down and he jumped again.

"You're wearing _pants_? But you're a _girl_!"

Was this really the time to discuss this?

Then Chicken Head yelled at us, probably his very own version of a war cry except it sounded more like a crying caveman, and came at me; he was bigger than I realised.

As Keigo screamed and I wondered how I could furtively break Chicken Head's nose a foot came out of nowhere impaling Oshima in the stomach. Seriously, the guy was in the air balancing on a single left foot. When the guy's eyes were rolling back in his head the foot flung him to the side.

…And I was stunned yet again as I became the focus of a pair of tawny eyes too intense for any normal teenager, his furrowed eyebrows darkening the intrigue displayed there.

And then my body…just… reacted. My insides seemed to squirm and I swore that the cells of my body pulsed in a rhythm foreign to me.

He was so light. His aura radiant to the core…

…And powerful too. He probably didn't even know it.

I was incredibly intimidated… and inquisitive beyond belief.

No other human had an aura like that, or at least not one _I_ had come across.

And I had the decency to try to look away, 'try' being the operative word. Great I got caught up because he's beautiful…

If I said that to him… I'd be a laughing stock.

Still he was just an ordinary teenager… with a constant scowl on his face and an intimidating jaw line. His face was full of awkward angles that most teenagers get as they begin to mature. Suddenly I felt much better about my lapse.

And he was asking me a question.

"Are you alright?"

His head was tilted to the side and one of his frowning eyebrows had risen up. He didn't have a mark on his clothes and it looked as if he hadn't been hit back. Impressive.

Before I could work through a reasonable answer Keigo replied for me.

"SHE SAVED MY LIFE MAN!"

Huh? I did not.

"Hi. How are you doing?" The one called Mizuiro was already there in front of me holding out a hand and I moved forward to reciprocate when I heard-.

**_!_**

The school bell.

The tall Mexican appeared behind his friend and nodded over to the doors on a parallel building.

"Trouble."

That was all he uttered. And I could see why. Teachers made their way out of it and towards us. Keigo groaned, Mizuiro nodded at the vivid orange head and made his way over to the teachers and…

I nodded and waved shyly to Mexican dude.

It took him a moment but he nodded back too.

* * *

**Keigo**

Normally on full standby for females the ruckus of today's events may have momentarily rustled the perfect antenna of female presence signalling that was Keigo Asano.

Still his pervy-sense began to tingle at the unknown female in close vicinity!

All of the males surrounding her like an animal at the zoo were surprised by the pants she wore. They noticed her thick, dark brown hair tied in that slightly messy plat that seemed to eat the sunlight cast upon her. _Not bad._

Keigo however noticed her figure, decent bosom of which his imagination, _of course_, supplied seeing how she was covered up in the school's jacket and pants. _Not bad at all... by a long shot…_

Yeah, a word about the pants.

They looked good.

_All the girls should wear these exact pants… except it would hinder my view of their very fine appendages…hmmm, tough decision._

Keigo watched her talk with Mizuiro and decided to take another look for good measure.

Whoa…barrier.

_It's like there's this area around her that shouts 'tough to touch…must have decent resolve'. But she seems nice enough. Nice smile. I guess having another friend doesn't hurt (as you can see my resolve is absolute crap)._

_Whatever, she looks nice… friendly, a little shy maybe… I did the gentlemanly thing (hah, right, me a gentleman) and introduced myself._

* * *

**Mai**

"Mai Li?"

Blank stare. That happens so much it barely bothers me anymore.

"Yes it's… I know my name's _really _dull and easily forgotten." I shook my head and smiled for the first time to make myself feel more at ease in the presence of boys who were obviously the 'popular' type. "It doesn't matter really." I was waiting for them to loose interest in me.

This was my second smile but on both occasions they would all watch my mouth for a moment. Did I have something in my teeth? Even the orange haired one seemed to do it.

After a moment Keigo snapped out of his stare and did a little strange excited dance and said "No it's just I swear I heard that name on one of my computer games."

Mizuiro frowned at him. "You're thinking of Chun Li doofus."

"Am not! I swear I heard that name somewhere. Probably some badass lesbian Kung Fu chick."

I sweatdropped, what lovely descriptive imagery. "…I'll take that as a compliment."

"_You're welcome_ my new friend Mai!"

Right. "…That's the first time I've received that kind of reaction before."

Mizuiro looked at me again. He hadn't looked at his phone or at anyone else for a full five minutes. I felt privileged.

"But your name isn't actually all that boring Li san. Just efficient. Makes signature writing easy anyway."

"You practice writing signatures a lot?" I was joking.

"Oh yes, useful _hobby_ to have when _escaping_- I mean vacating school premises in times of emergency and needing signatures for special privileges to help in the course of our education."

I translated that myself to mean 'needing handy excuses ready by using your parents hand to get out of punishment situations'. Geez for such a nice looking kid he was awfully ready to break the rules. Made me smile at the faces people used in front of others. I was vaguely surprised that he'd told me all that actually.

I smiled at him. "Call me Mai, please."

He smiled back. "Only if you call me Mizuiro".

"AND you can call _me_ the-"

"The perverted freakasaurus."

"The perverted fre- MIZUIRO COME ON, YOUR SUPPOSED TO BE MY FRIEND!"

"Friend? Oh is that what they call this?" He vaguely waved his finger between him and Keigo. "Of _course_ I'm your friend… But you're first impression on Mai isn't exactly a positive one _Mr. Asano."_

"You're so cold _Mizuiro! _You should call best friends by their first name!

Mizuiro looked mildly surprised, "_Best_ friends? Is that what we are?"

The teachers had already done their bit and had escorted several of the trouble makers into their esteemed offices. I was actually taken aback. The teachers had made sure to deal with the true trouble makers instead of making their own assumptions no matter how false the allegation. I wasn't use to justice from my old school. True, some of them did look at the orange haired one with slight disapproval but other than that everything was smooth sailing.

I wondered though what he could have possibly done to receive such a response.

"I didn't know that the school sold trousers for girls… never seen them _worn_, that's for sure."

I looked up hearing the voice of the brightest light in the goddamn universe. If he shone any brighter I'd be blind by now. His aura just wouldn't stop… _pulsating_. You know he wasn't exactly glowing; his energy didn't actually have a colour but it enhanced the brightness of the residual signature waves.

I wondered if I really did look stupid, or if I looked as if I were trying to make some kind of statement by deliberately being the only girl to wear pants.

Mizuiro smiled at him. "Nope, just super short skirts in view."

"Ah yes… the skirts." Keigo drooled.

"Belts."

I blinked as the Mexican spoke; even his friend looked a little startled but he nodded, agreeing but not certain of how to comment. "Uh, sure."

"…So I don't look foolish?" I asked tentatively.

All of them stared at me.

Then it hit me.

I was asking four guys to tell me whether or not I looked alright. Worse still I probably did sound foolish and I would never be able to wear a skirt again with their comments in mind. And last but definitely worse they would all probably realise that I wasn't worth talking to.

Now that didn't bother me. What did bother me was the idea of dealing with their indifference for the next 3 years.

Huh? _That_ troubled me? Well that sure is different to how I felt months ago when I preferred casual apathy to anger and spite. I'd changed.

"The pants look better anyway."

The tawny eyed one spoke and his Mexican friend gave me a 'thumbs up' expression that he probably thought was cool when it in fact was not.

Keigo just laughed, happy and manic with plasters on his face and arms. "Yeah they look great!"

I nodded and tried not blush in mortification. Fabulous responses though I'd received I'd _actually_ asked them to comment on my appearance. Though it was for very different reasons I was for a moment there channelling Pei.

Then I remembered that my arms were empty and I was in fact late for dorm. We were _all_ late for dorm period.

I looked over at the wall to see my papers lying everywhere, dirty and ripped with footprints on them. Running over to pick them up I heard Mizuiro comment that they'd better get going.

I heard footsteps behind me.

Orange filled my view for a second as he too stooped to pick up my things.

"You really don't need to do that." I said quickly.

He shrugged. "Don't worry about it."

"…Sorry." _God_… I'm such a loser. That's all I could think of to say? _Really?_

He looked perplexed. "Why are you saying sorry? I'm the one that knocked your books over."

"…Sorry." Dammit.

A twitch on the side of his head started to take shape.

Trying not to be 'me' was really difficult. Maybe I really should just let go.

We stood up together so he could pass me my things and as he turned back to his friend I found myself speaking. I mean what the hell right? I'd already made a prat of myself, why not take a risk and be 'me'.

He was turning away.

"What's your name?" I asked curious. "It's not like I can just call you 'orange head' forever."

His head turned towards mine, scowl and everything forced on me. I swear he looked as surprised as I felt at myself for even asking in the first place.

I stared directly back at him. I'd always been able to look people right in the eye without becoming uncomfortable, always making the other person turn away first.

It was never intentional, or a competitive game nor was it an intimidation tactic. It's just that I find people's eyes interesting. They can either shut you out or tell a story.

And _his_ eyes were _very_ captivating… again I was surprised by their power. Though his looks were still in the developing stages of his adolescence his eyes had an impact. They homed in on you and stayed locked on until satisfied.

He was a strong one alright.

But for some strange reason…

…It felt like I was being tested. Whether he was aware he was doing it or not I felt as though if I looked away I'd be considered the weak one. Maybe my insecurity was just coming through a tad strong I wasn't sure, but just in case I was right I held my own and continued to pierce through him as much as he was me. I kept my gaze passive but strong and waited for him to finish.

When he saw the slight defiant streak surface in my eyes he raised an eyebrow before the same streak slithered through his own. So we stood there staring and refusing to back down, measuring each others strength of character, wondering why this was taking so long.

I'd only asked for his name for god sakes.

Then he blinked and the spell had broken. I cleared my throat.

He spoke. "…It's Ichigo Kurosaki." Then he turned his head and looked over his shoulder. "Hey Chad! Get over here!"

Wait, he was calling his Mexican friend over now?

The big guy stood next to him and blocked out the morning sun.

"This is Yasutora Sado. I just call him Chad." Kurosaki finished.

I smiled. "Hi Sado." I held out a hand.

And one of his big ones enveloped mine in beautiful brown skin. These two were poster boys for super models.

"W-WOAH, HEY GUYS!"

I frowned as Keigo pointed dramatically at the board on the wall. Somehow it had avoided being scuffed to death. I followed his finger and found… my name.

"Mmm hmm… yep that's my name Keigo."

He shook his head spastically and he practically came apart in excitement.

"We're all in the same class! Class 1-3! THIS IS GREAT!"

I just smiled again.

* * *

**Ichigo**

He'd been distracted.

Oshima, Karakura High's leading bully figured he'd try to take him for a ride… somewhere quiet where he and his guys could take him down. _Jerk-off_.

Not noticing her till the last possible moment, he was side-tracked by her soft smile.

They'd _all_ been diverted.

It was… it was… comforting? Infectious? He couldn't find a word for it but the reactions from the other guys were the same as his.

He'd looked her over. His dad being a doctor allowed him to inherit the ability to pick up a lot of information about a person from a single cursory glance… even if he did _suck_ when it came to medicine.

His eyes had trailed down to her neckline were she had on the red school tie, loosened with three buttons open; not quite school regulation. Snapping his eyes down before travelling any further he'd seen with some shock that she wore… trousers.

Her shirt was pulled out of the pants, the last two buttons undone. Her posture was decently disciplined and confident in its movement, her bag slung over her shoulder; head tilted slightly observing her new babbling friends.

There was no air of cocky bravado around her person either.

S_he looked… kind of… cool… for a girl._

Girls didn't usually talk to him.

_I mean, I'm 15, this didn't exactly upset me._

His personality wouldn't allow for that anyway. For most guys, if the opposite sex were xenomorphic, romance was in another galaxy far, far away…

But yeah girls… they never looked at him in the eye like she had. He had a reputation after all.

And what had _that_ been about?

The whole minute where he'd just stared at her for no understandable reason.

…_Why did I do that?_

He'd looked at her at first like he'd look at any girl, at any stranger… but figured with what happened next that maybe he shouldn't have…

It had felt like he was searching for something inside of her… he only began to feel uncomfortable the moment he actually _realised_ they were staring at each another.

It wasn't necessarily a big deal either just not what he was used to, which was why the incident was forgotten the moment he'd left school grounds.

Though Keigo and Mizuiro had forced on him and Chad their mobile numbers so he wouldn't be able to forget _them_.

It was an odd first day at High school. Hopefully it wouldn't set the scene for the future… But he pretty much knew he was screwed.

That and he had a ghost to go cheer up.

_Work, work, work._

* * *

**Mai**

The day had been a weird one.

As would the next month be… the next year…

I'd been so worried about the energies surrounding me, about whether or not I would actually fit in at this school so unlike the last and I'd actually come of out of the school with four numbers.

I'd given my contact details to a Tatsuki Arisawa, Keigo and Mizuiro after they had demanded it during second period claiming that if I didn't they would stalk me home.

By the end of the day I was ready for bed, never mind dinner.

Most of the students knew each other from their previous middle schools and those that didn't found friends quickly through associates.

Not so surprisingly I'd instantly made enemies with several of the upper class men simply by existing or looking at them the wrong way.

Before I'd realised it I'd actually been doing something I'd refrained from doing for two years.

When I don't like someone or disapprove of their actions or even if I'm just being incredibly nosey it becomes utterly obvious. Not my facial expression but my eyes. They never lie.

Then when I'd finally stumbled into class Keigo Asano and Mizuiro hollered me over, dragging me towards their side of the classroom. I noticed briefly how the guys and girls were mostly separated. Segregation based on sex. Gotta love it. Or at least be amused by it.

It was a futile dream of some pompous school preacher teacher.

Sitting in the classroom I'd been forced yet again to _feel _that sensation. The one of walking through the ocean. Waves of energy flowing through and around my form, some brighter than others. The atmosphere of the town seemed to be… more obvious here at school.

About halfway through the day a girl with short and layered black hair stood at the front of my desk.

"So you're the new girl huh?"

Rhetorical question. I frowned, weren't we all new girls? What was I suppose to say after that? "Oh I know I am" or "I'm sorry was there something this newbie could do for you?" Both sounded pretty sarcastic. Better not ruin possible alliance opportunities in a new school on the first day. So I just looked up and said "Hi" with a brief smile.

"Nervous huh." _…A little. _"Don't worry about it, first day always stinks."

Again I frowned. "Isn't it supposed to be your first day too?"

She nodded with a smirk. "Well yeah but I know most of the people in class so it doesn't feel all that scary. You however don't know a soul… except those two of course." She added darkly and I glanced back to see Keigo and Mizuiro. One was on the phone; the other looked like he was imitating a Chimpanzee. Guess who was who. I think she felt sorry for me. She shook her head. "I'm-"

"Tatsuki Arisawa. I remember it from registration", I added after her look of surprise.

"Good memory".

"…Well I try".

Again she smirked at that and the next day I found myself being introduced to half of the female members of the math class who were all oddly needy of new gossip information.

"Come on, come have lunch with us", "were do you come from?" "What's your family like?" "What's your favourite colour?"(From a sweet looking, EXTREMELY curvaceous girl with long, brown/orange hair) "Any deep dark secrets you'd care to share?" This came from a girl with light red, chin length hair and feline looking glasses named Chizuru.

The girl had an obvious excess of energy which she utilized 24/7 and the look on her face practically screamed '_stay away from this one_'. I tried to comply _believe_ _me_, but over the next three weeks I would find myself the object of her staring and ogling, her never ending intrusive and sometimes dirty Q&A sessions and her comparison on my changing figure to Orihime's, the brown/orange haired girl. There wasn't really a comparison; she was beautiful in both mind and body and, pardon my crude language, her magnificent rack was in an orbit of its own. Pei would agree with me there. Half of the male student body had their eye on her but they were kept carefully in place by the ever present body guard that is Tatsuki. Who I found was also a student of a Martial Art called Vale Tudo.

Other than the obvious lesbian that was Chizuru, the bodyguard Tatsuki, the innocent princess Orihime, I found myself also making friends with bookworm and 100 metre sprint athlete Ryo, boy-magnate/man-eater Mahana, and shy Michiru.

None of these girls were similar so I found myself fitting right in with my own laid back demeanour and strange behaviour.

It seems I may actually have a place here.

Tatsuki seemed to be one who made sure each and every girl in the class wasn't alone.

And it wasn't out of pity either. I suspect that this maybe the result of several of her own harsh past experiences. That made me a little sad. Everyone suffered for their personality quirks too didn't they?

Chiyu and Jihi were ecstatic to see I'd made new friends the moment I'd staggered dazed through the Onsen door. I was in such a state of disbelief that I hadn't a) made the teachers hate me, b) had actually made friends, c) met acquaintances with similar problems, and finally d)… I had smiled today… a lot.

The first day had been hectic enough that I'd barely had a chance to speak to my new friends and wondered whilst trying not to care, whether or not they would change their minds by the next morning.

They hadn't.

That night as I made my bed and changed into my pj's, Pei had flown in and danced a cute little jig in the middle of my room, humming a tune and moving to her own rhythm.

I'd waited on my bed for her to finish with a straight face and she finally took a breath.

"YOU GOT MAIL!"

"Huh?" Was my oh so expressive response.

She '_squeed'_, a new word, somewhere between a squeal and a squeak and jumped next to me on my bed making me bounce.

"Look!"

She thrust at me my new mobile with my new mobile numbers on it. I opened my inbox. The first was from Keigo.

**Mai, I'm thinking of a campaign strategy for the 'pants'. The girl's need 2 be awakened to the world of school pants. They looked gr8 on ur… er… well u figure it out. Don't worry I don't perv on my friends. My hero Mai.**

"I knew the pants would look good on you!" Pei said smugly.

I opened the next text.

**Much. He doesn't perv **_**much**_** on his friends. It was nice meeting u today by the way. And making friends with Tatsuki? Good tactic. Can never have 2 many friends in class. …How did u take that guy down this morning? Oh wait, I got a message, talk 2 u 2morrow?**

Mizuiro.

I tired not to look at Pei as she said. "You took down a guy? There was a guy? Mai, spill, share with me! FEED ME GOSSIP, I'M DEPRIVED!"

I ignored her as Tatsuki came next on the list.

**Hey Mai, Miz told me u took down a guy. U good at MA? If u interested cm tlk 2 me kay. Btw, d u have free time this week? And cn u paint? As in cn u hold a brush without dropping it?**

Pei frowned this time as I shut the mobile.

"MA? What's MA?"

I sighed, not sure if I appreciated where this was going. "I think she means martial arts."

"Hmmm… so you took down a guy? Was he hot? Oh!" She gasped as her eyes grew wide and I worried what I'd done to upset her. But then she shouted out her problem and my eyes rolled.

"DID HE OFFEND YOU? HARASS YOU? DID SOMEONE ATTACK YOU MAI? DO YOU NEED A WHITE KNIGHT ON A WHITE STEED TO CARRY YOU TO SAFETY? DO YOU? JUST SAY THE WORD MAI! DAD WILL BE HERE IN A FLASH!"

"No! No I'm fine Pei, I promise." I soothed, praying she'd stop screaming at me.

"Okay… so what was the problem?"

I shrugged. "There was a fight at school and I happened to be there. It was nothing to do with me." For once, I wanted to add.

A shrewd smirk implanted itself on her features and she nodded. "Uh huh."

"What?"

"Oh nothing. I just wonder if it's wise to hide your talents for disrupting fights."

"Or causing chaos?" I interrupted.

"Mai, maybe you're _real_ talent lies in helping people, and from time to time that means sometimes kicking butt!" She looked far too happy with this idea.

"I can't ever imagine a time where someone will want my help, never mind a time where my 'butt kicking' will be seen in a positive light." I muttered and sighed.

Pei just mussed up my hair.

Then uncle Jihi came thundering in with wide eyes and a large machete in hand.

"DID SOMEONE HARASS MY SECOND DAUGHTER? DID SOMEONE PAY WICKED ACTS UPON YOUR INNOCENT FLESH? I WILL HAVE JUSTICE! I AM YOUR WHITE KNIGHT! WHAT WILL YOU HAVE ME DO? I'LL CHOP HIM TO PIECES!"

I just turned to look at a nervous Pei. "This is all your fault." She nodded sheepishly.

* * *

It turned out Tatsuki wanted help to advertise her own martial arts club.

A few days after my uncle wielded a blade in my room she'd found me reading on the roof top of the main school building, had dragged me down the stairs, across the yard, through the field of short-clad football guys and towards a side building that hosted martial arts every day after school.

Karakura High school had a reputation for being a dominant in the sports league. If you were on any team that favoured some form of physical activity you were helping the school's rep.

"My sensei couldn't advertise a parking ticket, never mind a club." She explained to me all peppy like as she pulled me towards the front doors. "So he asked me to do it for him, you know to entice new members… Unfortunately… I suck at any form of self expression."

I sweatdropped. "Isn't martial arts a form of self expression?" Tatsuki's eyebrows rose.

She thought for a minute before nodding. "Except for that. I suck at expression in any area other than that."

"Other than kicking someone's ass?"

"Other than kicking someone's ass, I suck." She agreed.

"So why do you think _I'll_ be any good at it?"

"A hunch!"

Superb.

She pushed me through the doors. "Actually… after hearing from Mizuiro about what happened the other day I decided that maybe you can sympathise with me. Plus you are kind of expressive and creative so, why not?" She shrugged.

"Oh I see. The hidden motive becomes clear."

"Uh huh."

I smiled. "Seriously I'm not some secret black belt or anything. I just know how to handle myself." Then I doubled back. "Wait a sec… how am I creative? Or good with idioms?"

Tatsuki looked at me side on. Then she took out some bandages for her hands and started wrapping them around her fingers. She already had on her obi and the way she looked at me made me made me want to back up… or sigh.

She spoke as she regarded her hands. "I've only known you for a few days so I can't comment on a lot. Apart from an odd reluctance you show in class sometimes and a kind of forced reserve to your physical actions you can be kind of insightful." I felt her eyes drift back to mine again as I was checked out the large gym room. "Plus I saw you in Art class yesterday and figured that if you can sketch _that_ well you can probably paint too."

Still not looking at her I replied. "Two for the price of one?"

"Something like that."

So she'd noticed I was holding back already? I should have realised that she would; she focuses on physicality after all.

It had been easier for me to be more myself after spending time with people who were also social anomalies.

The building was pretty big and there were a few students at the other end of the large room that had been substituted for a genuine dojo practicing basic techniques on each other.

Next week would be opening week for the different clubs at the school for the newbie's.

I nodded absently. "I'd like to help and it would look good on my references and report sheets. But I'm not joining your club."

Finally I glimpsed at her, anxious and hoping that I hadn't upset her.

She frowned. "…Because you're afraid, because you're not interested… or because you don't need the help."

"The latter."

Nodding again Tatsuki sighed.

Then she rushed at me.

I had less than two seconds to think of what to do as her fist closed in for my face.

So she wanted me to prove it huh? Okay then…

Her fist was about an inch away from my face as my hand swiped upwards to lock around her arm and throw her over my shoulder to the ground. At the last possible second she twisted around in midair and made to sweep my legs from under me. I lifted one leg up; she wasn't in range for the other, and pivoted on the same foot to perform a roundhouse kick to her head as she righted.

She was good.

She blocked my foot and I saw the surprise on her face at the strength behind the kick. Then she grinned and used the leverage she had on me to try for a right hook to my face. I caught her fist enclosed in the fingers of one hand and used it to pull her close to me as I ducked under the same arm, twirled around behind her and pushed my arm in between her shoulder blades as my knee pressed into her legs from behind. I'd always been a flexible one.

She went down with a surprised grunt and swung her legs around to bring me down with her.

We both fell to the floor and just as she made to get back up I pushed my knuckles against the ground and forced myself into a sprint. Before she was even aware of it my knee was in her face and my hand in her hair.

I staid in that position; my right foot off the floor, knee one centimetre in front of her wide eyes, my left hand fisted in her short hair to prevent further movement. I was the epitome of still.

Her chest was moving faster than usual and I had to remind myself that I hadn't tried to be soft with her… I hadn't tried to be rough either…

…And we'd formed ourselves an audience.

The other obi clad students were all gazing open mouthed at the two of us.

Slowly and with absolute certainty in my ability I eased my foot back onto the floor and loosened my fingers away form her hair.

Then I gulped at the dumbfounded accusation in Tatsuki's eyes.

A nervous chuckle escaped me as I scratched the back of my head with one hand.

"S-sorry about that Tatsuki."

Said girl blinked and looked up at me.

Then a huge smirk spread across her features. "That was frickin unbelievable!"

"Come again?" Needless to say I was perturbed.

As Tatsuki's words echoed around the large room our small audience started clapping eagerly and my head started to shake from side to side to try and dissuade them.

_This right here _was why I didn't want Tatsuki to test me. I was secretly very passionate about the physical arts and I knew that if she decided to try me I would reciprocate… and I would beat her. Simply because… I had resolve.

Tatsuki was good, very good. But she'd held back as had I to prevent injury. I could now estimate what the outcome of a true match between us would come to… and it wasn't pretty. But she wouldn't win. And it wasn't because I was awesome or anything. It was simply because I thought outside the box where she had devoted herself to the rules of Vale Tudo.

Tatsuki ran over to me and slapped my back jovially as the rest of the students cheered. I grinned back shyly and whispered. "Do you think I need to join now?"

She laughed. "Hell no! I'll make sure these guys don't tell sensei about you… or anyone else for awhile." When she saw my raised eyebrow she elaborated in a somewhat embarrassed tone. "He has the… _tendency_ to challenge pupils who are deemed more worthy." She sighed and shook her head. "He even challenged Ichigo once… it wasn't cute."

Oh really? "What happened?"

She smiled again more wickedly this time. "They sent each other to the hospital… that was only 3 months ago."

* * *

**The Substitute Dojo**

I'd been painting for an hour now and the school bell for lunch had been and gone. I'd taken off my blazer and rolled up my sleeves on the shirt I wore. My fingers were smudged with various paints but all in all I was proud of what I had accomplished.

The Vale Tudo logo was displayed in all its glory and surrounding it were the schools colours and… orange roses, plus vines, obis, and punching bags. I was a decent drawer.

And the colour orange wouldn't fade away from my brain. I'd more or less forgotten about meeting Ichigo Kurosaki four days before but his orange hair was a vivid and constant picture in my head.

The 'exercise' the day before had convinced the other pupils along with Tatsuki to allow me to promote their club. They'd gone out and brought me paper and paint and had looked at me with hopeful smiles. No pressure. Plus my stomach churned with the fact that I'd been asked, _me_, to help them out. It was a whole new experience for me.

In my previous school most people wouldn't even look at me.

But I think that I may have done an honest job. I'd even done a timetable spreadsheet for them providing the numerous details about class times and content.

Wiping my hand across my temple and blowing some hair off of my face I heard the door behind me click. Cool air breezed inside and I shivered aching to put my jacket on and knowing I couldn't because I didn't want Jihi and Chiyu to spend yet more money on me for a new blazer.

Then realising who it probably was I called out without looking. "I-it's almost done Tatsuki. You'll be able to put it up tomorrow."

"_What's_ done?"

"WAAH!"

I spun around and saw Ichigo Kurosaki standing next to me. He blinked at my over reaction before eyeing the paint work again. My jaw stuck for a moment before I answered.

"Er… it's for Tatsuki. She doesn't have time to present her club so she asked me to help her out." What was _he _doing here?

He nodded still regarding my art work. A small snail of self doubt wormed its way inside me; I didn't like people looking over my projects, I always felt I was being judged.

He spoke again. "Yeah, I saw Tatsuki running around chasing after the other club members… what's with all the orange?"

I wondered momentarily if the scowl was an inherited trait or a purposely moulded facet.

"It goes well with the black." I said simply.

"So… what is it?" He said bluntly.

Was it really that bad that he couldn't distinguish between the items in it at all?"

I continued to work the brush over an unpainted area. "It's a banner. Tatsuki asked me to do one when she found out that I could hold a brush without dropping it."

"Unusual colour scheme."

Again, he was referring to the orange and I decidedly parked my face in neutral.

He hummed something and moved around the table looking down at the contents. Then without ceremony he dumped his bag on the only free space and said something that was so out of the blue that my neutral expression disappeared off my face like a slap.

"Mind if I eat my lunch here?"

I blinked and my mouth popped open imitating a dying fish. "Er, w-why?"

"…Because I'm hungry." He spoke as if I were a demented 3 year old.

My mouth shut with a snap and I nodded tersely. He sat and started munching on a sandwich, the smell of which forced me to remember that I hadn't eaten since breakfast. My stomach grumbled loudly and I saw him look up at me without shame as I blushed. I _blushed_. I never blushed. This school was going to ruin me. And of _course_ I would do every possible humiliating thing a teenager could do in front of _this_ guy.

With an anxious, self deprecating laugh I moved towards my bag and pulled out my own sandwich, not caring about the dried paint on my fingers. I took a _huge_ bite and blushed _again_ when my eyes connected with his over the top of my sandwich and saw him blink. Yeah, girls don't usually eat like a pig in front of guys.

A genuine embarrassed smile worked over my full mouth as I finished eating the bite. "…I forgot to eat anything."

He just shrugged and continued munching. "It's alright."

There was a few moments of semi-comfortable silence as we ate and I tried to calculate the reasons why he would want to eat here of all places, with an almost stranger.

And then it hit me. "Who are you avoiding?" I asked conversationally.

Jackpot! He scowled worse than ever and mumbled something under his breath but unfortunately for him I had excellent hearing. "_Nobody_." He said rigidly.

"You're hiding from Tatsuki's sensei huh?"

He blinked at me again and I suppressed the urge to laugh at my own insightfulness. Perhaps Tatsuki was right. Or maybe this guy was great at getting me to think clearly.

He recovered quickly. "It's nothing."

I placed my sandwich wrapper in my bag. "Tatsuki told me that her sensei has the nagging disposition to sometimes seek out worthy opponents to test and entice." I looked at him. "Is he trying to recruit you?"

He sighed. "You'd think he'd stop after what happened in the winter…" Then he scowled even further. "…_But it just made him worse_."

I nodded in understanding as I went back to the painting. "And you hid here because the last place you know he'll think you'll be is at _his_ dojo?"

"I'm not hiding!"

…I'd hit a nerve.

"Well, what would you call it then?"

He huffed. "…Taking cover."

A laugh escaped me before I could stop it and I saw his scowl ease up.

I smiled and exhaled, then asked curious. "So… you _used_ to do martial arts?"

He looked taken aback for a moment then shrugged. "Yeah I stopped a couple of months ago. I was too good to continue without having to teach or do competitions."

My hands stopped painting in total disbelief at the nonchalance in his voice. "You quit because you were getting _too_ good? …_Seriously_?"

He shrugged again but his response was purely straight faced. "Yeah, I'm _that_ good."

I rolled my eyes. "Oh please."

He actually smirked a little… on one side of his mouth. It made his eyes gleam.

This meant however that he was probably far more capable than Tatsuki.

And it didn't come to much of a surprise.

_**BBBBBRRRRIIIINNNNNNGGGGGGGG!**_

Lunch had ended as had my impromptu art class.

As I cleared away I noticed Ichigo get up and swing his bag over one shoulder. I ran into the back room to wash my hands and ended up having to use liberal amounts of washing up liquid. Then I fastened my blazer and grabbed my bag.

I stopped when I saw that he'd waited for me. He held out the door with an expression that said 'are you coming?'

I did as asked, bemused, and we walked towards homeroom.


	3. End of S0called Normalcy Part 2

**I can't believe I forogot to do a Disclaimer on the first chapter! I shall make amends.**

Disclaimer: There is no way in hell that I own Bleach. I do own tboth the original characters and parts of the plot story.

**There. Now I feel better. Still I was a little shocked to see how many hits my story recieved in the first week alone. I don't know what the average rate is for a new story but I was pleased. Anyway just one or two things. This story is rated T, but as it progresses I'll have to push it up a notch. I put friendship and adventure down as its genres but there's a lot more to it than that. It's comedic (or at least I hope it is), dramatic, epic, horrific, violent... possible relationship avenues etc. Don't count on romance just yet. I plan the get all my characters personally connected to each other in some way first. Last thing...**

**Pretty please will someone review what I've put down so far. You don't have to, I just need to know whether or not I'm a decent enough writer to keep going. I don't want to bore people to tears. If you have any questions too I'll answer them. And if you do review could soemone please explain to me what a 'cookie' is in relation to fanfic? I'm currently in the middle of my uni exams and don't have the time to search. This chapter has been sitting in my comuter and collecting dust for a while.**

**Please be kind.**

Chapter 2:

**End of (So-Called) Normalcy Part 2:**

**Enter Rukia Kuchiki**

I prayed that the peaceful atmosphere would stay but it was wishful thinking on my part.

Things started to speed into dangerous territory after the first two weeks. My birthday came and went without much enthusiasm not that Jihi didn't try to make it spectacular; he ended it with a huge fireworks display that I had to admit was worth a single birthday.

My birthday represents a part of my past I would defiantly love to forget. Where once it was a source of joviality, now it was a cause for painful remembrance.

A few days after my birthday I would bury the sensation.

Like I was right now.

Besides I had more pressing problems to concern myself with.

I had been correct in my initial assumption about the upper class men. They _really_ didn't like me and like all sources of malcontent it stemmed from a number of small reasons from my eyes (colour and gaze), my style of dress (the pants, how DARE I wear them), and my attitude towards my peers (non-existent respect). It didn't help that I started to associate with members of the student population who were notorious for standing out in a crowd.

Ichigo Kurosaki and Yasutora Sado were slowly building themselves solid reputations as the two strongest trouble makers in the past decade. Tatsuki might have joined the list but she became the head of this year's student disciplinary board within the first week of school. Even though none of them were jerks in or outside the classroom, Kurosaki especially was watched by both student and assistants alike. Though several teachers did seem to think this funny.

For example Miss Ochi, one of our main teachers thought Kurosaki rocked, from his hair colour to his attitude. She taught Japanese and literature, from the language to its history.

Michiru was a little afraid of him. I suppose most people might find his physical appearance somewhat upsetting. But I figured he was alright really. Certainly interesting at the very least and… kind. I could sense that about him from our very few one on one moments.

I didn't get to spend much time talking to Yasutora or Kurosaki during those first few weeks. I spent most of the time hanging around the thoroughly disturbed yet sweet as honey Orihime and Tatsuki who looked at me differently now. It seemed I was always either running from overzealous students who envisioned me joining their clubs or I was dodging the seniors.

But sometimes opportunities cropped up where I would gleam titbits of info. For instance…

One time during a Literature class I'd sat down furtively next to Kurosaki in the only available seat. He'd said 'Hey' and I asked him whether what other people thought of him bothered him much.

He'd sat back in his seat, not slouched, hands burrowed inside his pockets and his head tilted to the side glancing at the black board with clear eyes. "The _instructors_ can think what they like and I haven't cared for the opinion of the other students in a long time."

The apathetic tone of his voice during his utterance of the word 'instructor' rather than 'teacher' made me swallow. _Okay then…_He didn't look offended, it was more like he was used to the idea.

That didn't sit right with me. But it felt familiar.

But what I really needed to be worried about now was the sudden and exponential increase in spiritual activity within Karakura.

For the first time in a long time I was followed home by a rather curious and absent minded ghost. All the way there I'd sweated as to what to do about it. I couldn't exactly ignore the loud and obnoxiously daft questions he shouted at me and I'd momentarily forgotten that nobody could hear him anyway and ended up shouting back to get him to quieten. Not my brightest moment.

And again today as I walked to school.

I passed the elementary school playground along the way and caught glimpse of a lonely looking boy staring at his laces, sitting on the roundabout.

Of course he was a ghost.

The sight stopped me for a moment. It can be difficult to forget that the dead are well, solitary.

I could have just left him alone but something made me wait and before I knew it I was granted with his stare. They'd been doing that kind of thing recently. All I would have to do is look at them long enough and before I knew it they'd notice me back.

It's easy to ignore one's skills. I'd ignored my extra abilities until now but living in Karakura can make anyone change their mind.

The boy looked at me like he wasn't quite sure what he was looking at.

There was fear on his face that made me pause… but there was also interest and hope.

I passed him a small wave and a kind smile. He did a cute little look around with his eyes as if making sure it was really him I was looking at before timidly returning the gesture.

I made a promise to go talk with him after school.

* * *

**Ichigo**

"Oh, Ichigo?"

His eyes dulled. _And it starts…_

"!"

Then his eyes closed in irritation.

_Aw man… he's never going to shut up_… _maybe I should just say yes and get it over with… _

Keigo nudged his elbow into Ichigo's ribcage and winked at him as his eyes snapped back open. To his right Mizuiro roll his eyes behind his phone. It didn't take long for this orange haired bundle of attitude self (_hey, I know it and I like it_) to suss out Mizuiro's secret… not that the guy had tried to hide it or anything.

And Keigo just wouldn't shut up about movie night.

"So… are you coming? Are you coming Ichigo? Are you? ! Oh buddy oh pal!"

"FINE! I'LL COME TO THE STUPID MOVIE NIGHT! ARE YOU HAPPY?"

"ESTATIC! THAT MAKES FOUR!"

Ichigo blinked. "Four?"

Keigo nodded with much happiness. "Mmm hmm! Chad said he would only come if you came too!"

With a sinking feeling Ichigo turned to look down to the back of the classroom where Chad was now sitting with an expression of reluctant acceptance. He sent him an apologetic stare and sweatdropped.

_Sorry dude._

It wasn't that movie night was bad but they'd all suffered through three now and each time Keigo monopolised the movie screen during which he commented on each and every scene.

"You know _this_ time do you think you guys could, you know, chose the film for once?"

Kurosaki twisted back to look at Keigo. "Wha…?"

Keigo had on his thinking face. "Well I always end up choosing the film because no one else does." He shrugged. "It gets kind of boring."

…_Did not see that one coming…_

Thoroughly chastised… by _Keigo… _he resorted to staring out of the window towards the quad…

…And then jumped when he saw yet _another_ ghost. The third this week alone.

_Come on! Give me a break here! They can't seriously be looking for…_

The thoughts in his head came to a resolute stop as the ghost looked up at his window and waved cheerily once it saw him

Slouching in his seat, his furrowed eyebrows and nose peering atop of his desk he wondered how he could possibly get out of this without being further harassed.

…Until the nuisance came floating in the window towards him.

_You've got to be freaking kidding me!_

His forehead twitched as this ghost, a woman in her thirties, moved straight for his seat passing through students and desks along the way.

Mizuiro looked at him in a puzzled kind of way as he put away his phone.

"Are you alright Ichigo?"

_What could I say?_ "W-what are you talking about? I'm fine. Couldn't be better really." He finished in a panicked state and began to sweat.

This was going to be along class.

_I've got to get out of here!_

* * *

**Mai**

…So yeah.

I was currently in the _boy's_ bathroom.

Sitting sandwiched in one of the cubicles, on a toilet seat with the lid down…

It had been _that_ kind of morning.

And then, just because it's me here, guess who has to come stomping in?

"What the? HEY! YOU CAN'T COME IN HERE! THIS IS THE MENS'! GO AWAY! FOR FIVE MINUTES! JUST GIVE ME FIVE MINUTES!"

Ichigo Kurosaki.

I heard him mumble. "Damn pest…" As he closed the exit door with a loud bang and locket it. You weren't really supposed to, it was a public bathroom but obviously he needed his five minutes.

I wonder who was aggravating him. It was in the middle of a lesson too.

But I had more pressing things to currently worry about.

Like making sure my feet weren't seen from under the door. I jumped onto the toilet seat moments before he called out.

"Hello? …Anyone in here?"

The other cubicles were closed too, not locket but they all looked the same so he didn't try any doors. Even though it was more than likely I prayed to god that he hadn't come in here to do his… er, business. God came through for me as I heard the tap in the sink running.

Should I shout out? I mean… the truth was just too embarrassing. I started to sweat.

"…I mean at my school. In _class_… never happened before…"

Oh no…

This was really intrusive of me. I was listening to his private thoughts…

"…She should go bother her husband… see how _he_ likes it!"

Er… what?

"She's going to want me to do it after school too… I'll be late for Yuzu's cooking… _again_."

If I tell him I'm here now things are going to get even more awkward then they already are.

All movement that I could hear stopped from him for a moment and I vainly hoped he'd decided that his five minutes were over three minutes early.

But then he sighed and I imagined an image of him staring at his own reflection in the mirror.

"I'm Ichigo Kurosaki… 15 years old… high school student… and…" His tone turned no nonsense with an _almost_ concealed bit of irritation I could barely hear leaking through.

"…And I can see ghosts… for real. Welcome to my life."

My bag dropped out of my hands and clanged loudly on the bathroom floor.

Silence.

_Oh shit_.

"…Is someone there?"

He sounded dead serious… a little pissed and… kind of spooked too. And I would have laughed had I not been cowering on a toilet seat.

"…No?"

God_, why? _Why even open my mouth? I'm an utter dumbshit.

"_Huh_?"

Yeah, I'd be weirded out too.

Except he'd just told the air around him that he could see spirits. Which had to have been a joke right? …Because I'd been told there were no on else who could. No one but me that is.

"Hey! Come out of there!"

…No thank you.

I heard quick footsteps march towards my cubicle door and a flash of intuition crossed over my vision.

"No wait!"

His foot crashed into my door; the inside lock broke off its hinges and slammed into the side of the cubicle with a resounding clang. I had a crystal clear view of the sole of his shoe and he had a brilliant unambiguous shot of me crouched on top of the toilet seat with wide eyes; my hands held out as if to stop him from entering.

He blinked, his determined expression wiped clear form his face. _I_ blinked, my humiliation replaced with shock.

Then I took a breath. "Was that really necessary?"

He seemed to remember that his foot was hovering in the air and he brought it back down quickly. Then his eyebrows knitted back together again. "Hell_ yes_ it was necessary." He shook his head in bemused surprise.

"What the hell are you doing in the guy's bathroom? Took a wrong turn?" Then he looked me up and down with raised brows. "Were you _that_ desperate?"

My forehead twitched. "Eww… no, of course not!" Yep, the embarrassment had returned.

"Okay. Then why are you in here? Oh and you could have said _something_ when I was locking the door." He said superciliously.

My face was growing red again. "Look I'm sorry! I didn't want to say anything at first because you know… I'm a _girl_ in the _guy's_ bathroom!"

He nodded as if in understanding when really I knew he was making fun.

"Good point. Continue."

My eyes narrowed at his and I saw his jaw twitch. God, it just _had_ to be _him,_ _**again**_! Every little embarrassing moment of my life so far at this school presented right in front of his face for judgement.

"…And then you locked the door…" I whined as I gestured to the exit. "…And you were _talking_ to yourself…" He stiffened in my peripheral vision. "…and it all sounded very personal and then it spun out of control…"

"And you heard me say that I see ghosts… right?"

I glanced at him and saw him focus rigidly back on me waiting for my answer.

Jesus… he really wasn't kidding was he?

I slowly nodded and he sighed and shoved his fingers through his hair. Already I could see the excuses whirling through his head as he chewed on his tongue and suddenly it just clicked.

…Kurosaki really could see ghosts. Or at least he thought he did.

I saw him start to open his mouth but I spoke before he did resolutely staring at him through the mirror rather than at him directly.

"You see spirits?" My voice was a little firmer than I'd aimed for.

I saw him scoff. The perfect act. "Of _course_ I don't."

I frowned. "But you said…"

He cut me off. "I know what I said and it was nothing… It's just been a long day… I talk crap when I'm tired."

"No you don't. You're not the type."

His eyes flashed at me. "Oh and you know me _so well_ huh? Mai?"

Ouch… he got me there.

I ducked my head down, my eyes shaded behind the fallen pieces of my hair.

I heard him sigh. "Look, it's just…"

"You don't have to say anything. You were right. I shouldn't have even been in here."

Yes, when in doubt change the subject! Classic right?

"…Why were you? Really?" Despite the situation he sounded genuinely interested.

_I_ sighed this time and looked up at him, the real Kurosaki, not his reflection. He was leaning against the sink with a hand bracing on each side behind him.

I allowed a small smile to raise one side of my mouth. "I was hiding."

De ja vu…

He smirked too, not quite a smile, as if he were in on a joke I was sharing. "Oh yeah?"

I nodded uncomfortable.

"Who from?"

"A group of upper class men."

"…Why?"

I shrugged. "Apparently something about me provokes them."

His already knitted brows furrowed deeper as he glanced at the wall. "I know the feeling."

"Yeah… I suppose you do don't you." I said softly.

He looked at me.

"Where do you come from?"

I blinked. "Pardon?"

He gestured at my person. "Before you came to Karakura, where did you live?"

"Oh… I came from the other side of Tokyo… a small town just outside the city."

"Why come here?" His head was tilted as he observed me.

That was definitely a loaded question. The answer to which I didn't want to give.

"…My family lives here." I said quietly, silently begging him not to ask anything else about it.

He just stared at me; my eyes, my non-existent smile…

"You know hiding from your problems is just going to make them worse?"

I rolled my eyes. "The upper class men?"

He nodded.

"And what would you suggest I do?" I asked with a delicately raised eyebrow.

"Confront them." He said decisively.

I shook my head with a small smile. "…Not a good idea." I breathed as I brushed my hair away from my eyes.

"…Are you afraid?"

His tone was rather compelling for a teenage attitude dispenser.

"…Yes." I said seriously.

He didn't do anything except look at me. I mean _really_ look, it was all he did.

I swallowed and continued. "…I'm afraid that it'll get… _physical_…" Why was I telling him this? All I knew was that we were having this conversation in the boy's bathroom and somehow Kurosaki was pulling this emotional tangent from deep inside my chest… a dark place to be, believe me.

"…and that once I start I won't be able to stop."

I expected his eyes to widen or for him to blink in surprise or even for him to look at me with disdain echoing in his features. What I didn't expect and yet received was the understanding in his eyes that gently brushed against me and though the lines on his face hardened at my confession he continued to look at me.

"You hid so that you wouldn't hurt them." He concluded, quiet for a moment before shaking his head. "You're more than what you seem, Mai Li." Intrigue graced his masculine voice.

Well… for a 15 year old, his voice was pretty… ahem, nice.

I smiled at him and felt myself relax. "So are you ghost boy." I made my way to the locked door.

"HEY! DON'T CALL ME GHOST BOY! I TOLD YOU I WAS _KIDDING_!" He freaked.

"I'm sorry, what was that?" I cupped my hand to my ear and saw him glower at me. "…Can't hear you…" I sang.

I saw Kurosaki's hand twitch. "I am going to _end_ you!" He said savagely.

But there was a hell of a lot of playfulness to his tone too.

Glancing at him I opened the door. "Hah! You'd have to catch me first." My manner suggested that he wasn't up to the task.

He blinked. Then his forehead twitched. Stepping out of room with Kurosaki still clear in view and saw a maniacal grin manifest on his features. I frowned.

"Oh _really_?" He said dangerously.

Honestly I hadn't wanted him to rise to the bait. I wasn't trying to provoke a reaction… so this was kind of unexpected.

"Er…"

I saw him push off the sink and my eyes widened.

Crap.

And the moment the door swung shut behind me I shot off down the hallway laughing like mad, in a way I hadn't remembered ever doing when I heard the same door swing back open and bang close. His footsteps slammed into the ground as he tore after me.

"GET BACK HERE!"

I looked back. "NO WAY! YOU'LL KILL ME! AND THEN YOU'LL BOAST ABOUT IT!"

Cheerfully forgetting we were inside the school grounds during lesson time we hollered.

"I'M NOT GOING TO KILL YOU!" He shouted as I tore down a flight of stairs and he jumped down them in one go.

I yelped as he landed close to me and swung myself over the banisters.

Two can play at that game.

"NO WAIT!"

I landed perfectly two flights down. Being physically fit and flexible, it really wasn't such a difficult thing to accomplish. I looked up at him and saw his face morph from fearful angst to appreciation.

"Not bad!"

Then he was after me again.

A teacher whose name I didn't know opened a door form the inside of a classroom just as we passed the corner towards him. "Students are not allowed to run in the halls! AREN'T YOU SUPPOSED TO BE IN CLASS?"

"SORRY!" We yelled.

"STOP YELLING! IT'S UNSEEMLY!"

"YOU'RE YELLING TOO!" Shouted Kurosaki.

The man stuttered. "I-I… TO STOP _YOU_ FROM DOING IT!"

"AND FROM WHAT PLANET DOES _THAT_ MAKE SENSE?" Bellowed Kurosaki as we passed him.

"I AM A TEACHER!"

"SO THAT MEANS YOU HAVE YOUR VERY OWN BULLSHIT BADGE!"

We rounded the corner and we left the man a lone, an irritated twitch thumping in his cheek.

I looked back at Kurosaki who didn't look to be tiring at all.

"WHAT ARE YOU EVEN CHASING ME FOR ANYWAY?"

"NO FREAKING CLUE!"

I laughed again when neither of us stopped.

We were reaching the entrance when a woman appeared in front of me so suddenly I had no choice but to fall backwards…

…Straight into Kurosaki who had been closing in on me much faster than I thought he was.

He grabbed my arm, victorious. "GOT YA! Wait why did you stop?" He frowned and followed my eyes…

Then he saw her.

A ghost.

She was standing with her arms crossed and her foot tapping the ground in an irritated rhythm as if she'd been kept waiting.

She was looking at Kurosaki.

"Oh great…" I heard him mutter.

_Holy crap… _He wasn't lying… he really could see ghosts. Shocked wasn't the word for it.

I turned my head slowly to look at him at my side and I saw his own eyes blink and lighten with epiphany as he came to the same conclusion I had. I'd been looking at the ghost too. His head snapped towards me and we looked at each other in shock.

Then quick as a flash we pointed at each other.

"YOU REALLY _CAN_ SEE GHOSTS!" I shouted.

He yelled back at the same time. "YOU CAN SEE THEM TOO!"

"_I'M_ STILL WAITING!"

We both blinked to look back at the ghost. She smiled frostily.

"…Have been. For _more_ than _five_ _minutes_." She glared pointedly at Kurosaki who rolled his eyes.

"I said I'd help and I will so stop glaring at me."

Was this really happening?

Kurosaki was taking to a ghost… which probably meant that he could both touch and channel them too. This had most likely been going on for some time if his casual manner was anything to go by. Did every town have one person who was connected to the supernatural?

Now call me a wimp, I don't care, but for as long as I can remember I've diligently tried to keep this part of me secret. So the fact that I was now exposed in such a way made me want to hide.

It was a dangerous secret to be in possession of. Things happen to people like me, things happen around us.

What if he looked at me like I'm a freak? What if he found out… _things_ about me and ran away in opposite direction? Retarded though it may sound to be afraid of the response of a person who is actually more similar to you than you previously thought but I could feel it…

Both of us can see, hear, talk to, touch, and channel spirits.

But in two _very_ different ways.

I cleared my throat. "So yeah… I've got to go."

Kurosaki who'd been arguing with the woman turned sharply in my direction.

"Hey! You can't leave!"

Startled I whipped around. "_What_? Why?

The nosey ghost nudged Kurosaki. "Trust me honey. I know the type. This one's going to run."

"Hey!" I growled.

The ghost flinched and recoiled behind Kurosaki.

…Wait.

She looked so…Her expression was so similar to that of the young boy's I'd seen this morning. He'd feared me too until I'd waved at him. But why? I'm nice!

Kurosaki stepped forward and I gulped. You know he actually isn't _that_ tall; just two or three inches more than me, but his presence was… imposing. Yeah, imposing.

"You just told me that you can see spirits! Don't you think we should, oh I don't know, _TALK_ about it?" He fumed.

Unsettled I looked around then back at him. "What is there to talk about?"

He blinked before his expression morphed into incredulous annoyance. "You're _kidding_ me, right?" He shook his head in exasperation. "I've _never_ met another person who can see spirits like I can." Great, now I felt a tiny bit empathetic. "I thought I was the-"

"…The only one?" I finished for him.

He stopped in mid flight and sighed before nodding his head. "…Yeah."

I half smiled; it was a cheerless thing. "So did I." I admitted.

"Wait… this is great!"

In unison we blinked and turned to look at the ghost who was beaming.

"What's great?" Kurosaki asked.

She pointed at us with both hands. "Now there are two of you to help me!"

"Oi, don't drag her into this!" Kurosaki yelled.

The ghost woman pouted. "Why not?"

"Because-!"

"Aren't you afraid of me?" I asked before Kurosaki could explode.

Both of them turned to look at me; one confused the other careful.

The older woman took a long look at me before clasping her hands together and shaking her head. "Afraid isn't the term I'd use… maybe… _unsure_?"

I tilted my head in an effort to gage her. "In what way?"

She gestured towards Kurosaki. "You don't smell like him… it's something… strange. And…" She took a minute to ponder before clicking her fingers. "…It's commanding! And it's dark. _And_ light! …Scary… and yet comforting. Loving, cruel… Cold and warm. Kno-"

"Okay, alright, I get it!" I held my hands out in the 'stop sign' to bring to an end her speech.

She shrugged. "You asked."

My hand slapped against my forehead. "I know, _thank you_."

"I don't have a clue what she just said." Muttered Kurosaki.

"Join the club."

Anyway after that the ghost woman beseeched us… or rather she yelled as us until we took notice; Kurosaki with a vein pumping madly on his forehead and me with a genuine headache.

"So…" Kurosaki asked after a few minutes of explanation, his forehead still twitching. "…You want us to help find your husband?"

"How did you _loose_ your husband?" I asked frowning.

"Oh well, you know, I DIED!" She shouted at me.

"…Sorry." Yeah, that was a bit dim of me.

"Is your husband… er, living?" Kurosaki asked hopeful.

The woman nodded.

Thank God. Now this would be much easier.

I stretched my arms and took a few deep breaths. "Alright then! This'll just take a few minutes."

Kurosaki blinked. "What are you doing?"

Difficult part: explanation time. "I'm going to search for his… energy. If I can locate it we can just send her there."

"…What?" He looked super confused.

"Would you rather go looking all around Karakura? It would take all night!" I looked at him as he started to look awkward. "Wait… is that what you usually do?"

His cheek twitched and I blinked. "…Oh." That sucked. My ability was at least useful for tracking even if it was exhausting.

I pressed my lips together as I saw the ghost give Kurosaki an unhelpful, sympathetic look that made him glower. Sighing I walked past him to perform my little experiment but as I passed I patted his shoulder. It wasn't pity, _honest_, and he wasn't quick enough to stop me.

"HEY!" He shouted, and even though I hadn't touched it, ruffled his hair back into its spiky place.

I stood still, my feet apart and my hands by my side, in front of the ghost.

"Where you with or near your husband prior to your death?"

She nodded again and looked at me apprehensively.

I nodded and smiled to put her at ease. "Then this should be easy."

Basically a small print or smudge of her living energy should still be on her husband's person. She'd been dead 24 hours. Hopefully he was still in Karakura.

Closing my eyes I ignored the stares of Kurosaki and the ghost and concentrated. Her signature was already covering the area so I knew its scent as I traced it throughout Karakura.

And for just a moment I felt my dormant half clink and quiver as it tried to open.

With a push I sent my inner energy out in all directions. The wind around my person picked up blowing my hair gently as the clothes on my body swayed…

…There was Kurosaki behind me. His energy was so rich and unfocused that I couldn't help but brush by it with my own and saw him briefly shiver as his power reflexively reached out to meet me.

But it was too slow. I was already past him and out of the school, over east Karakura… the west… then south…

* * *

**Ichigo**

What… was she doing?

She just stopped and closed her eyes, her hands down by her sides as they just stared at her.

_What _would be easy?

He couldn't help the tingle of _something_ roll through his body as the area around them started to quietly hum.

And a breeze picked up around him that didn't feel… natural. Created.

By her.

_It was coming from her._

The tingling turned to warmth and it felt like it was seeking something… He frowned at himself; _it was __**seeking**__ something? I_ _sound like a cheap ass TV spook._

And then, as if she were surrounded by an invisible force, it pushed out past him and the ghost who disappeared momentarily. It was unlike anything he'd felt so far.

His body tensed and something deep within him… something unrecognisable pushed out to connect with the rapidly passing phenomenon.

But it was too slow. With a disappointed impression it too vanished.

…Leaving him reeling.

_What the hell…?_

Then Mai's eyes opened and he forced himself not to swallow.

For a split second he swore that her eyes were glowing; highlighted and emboldening the green and gold of her irises.

And then it faded.

_Oookkaaaaayyyy… _thoroughly confused, bemused, irritated, out of his comfort zone; he looked at her, unsettled.

…And just a pinch curious.

Mai could see spirits and do some weird and eerie locator thing that made him shiver.

_That _still_ doesn't mean that I understand what just happened._

Mai blinked then opened her mouth and the ghost who'd reappeared just as her eyes had opened gulped and almost took a step back. Like he said… a little eerie.

"He's in the south of Karakura; just outside of Sakurabashi… he's perfectly safe from harm there. I think he's… _thinking_." She added with lopsided frown as she weren't sure what it was she'd seen.

The ghost nearly wept in relief and though Ichigo couldn't say he'd be disappointed if she left he felt a tad guilty at how he'd tried to postpone helping her for as long as he could.

But… she was just _so_ annoying.

"Do you want us to come with you?" He asked and he saw Mai raise an innocent eyebrow at him for the 'us' part. There was no way he was going with the woman alone. Not now.

The ghost shook her head and smiled. "No, it'll be quicker if I just go alone. I… I only need to see that he's doing alright. I think then I'll be able to move on."

He nodded at her. "Good Luck then."

The ghost woman walked off… or drifted off or whatever it is ghosts do.

Running his fingers through his hair he sighed and turned towards Mai… who was nowhere to be seen.

_Wait where did she…?_ He looked around. _That_ _little_…he growled.

She snuck off on him right when he hadn't been paying attention.

_Dammit!_

What had all that been about anyway?

Well… it wasn't like she could hide at school. He'd talk to her tomorrow.

And if she didn't let him… then this time when he caught her he would _make_ her talk.

_Heh_.

* * *

**Mai**

Well that went swell.

I'd just blown my secret in front of Kurosaki. Epic fail.

Come what may.

It had been a long day. I'd stress about it tomorrow.

I was slightly late but I still went to a local convenience store to buy a ball. One you could kick, throw, pass etc. I figured the boy would like it. Twirling it in my fingers I walked whistling a merry tune.

I neared the park hopeful to help make one lonely ghost a little less so. The sun was already starting to set and a chill in the air picked up around me so I pulled my blazer closer and fastened the buttons.

I rounded the corner towards the monkey bars…

…There was no one there.

I wondered for a moment if the boy had decided to go explore someplace else when I remembered that ghosts tend to hang around areas and people that meant something to them in life. He _should_ be there.

…The roundabout was slowly spinning as if someone had given it a casual push… recently.

_Very_ recently, there was no wind today.

Drawing nearer I had to quell a sick feeling prominent in my stomach with each moment I neared the turntable.

Pausing I didn't stop it as it circled around. It creaked as it slowed and in the quietness of the area it sounded really creepy.

And it was added to by the flash of red I glimpsed as it rounded again… and again.

Drops of it in a long line that led to a small puddle underneath the ride.

Blood.

It flashed in my mind in rhythms of black, white and grey with the blood a vibrant red; colourful and energetic compared to the lifeless surroundings. Camera shots that went BANG! BANG! BANG! And with each I jumped slightly.

I didn't need to look around. Somehow I knew the ghost boy had been killed. Mere _minutes_ before I'd even arrived. Too late for him… and for me.

Whatever had killed the boy wasn't a human being… humans can't kill the already dead.

…But the residue of something totally unfamiliar and odorous in the worst possible way reached me.

It smelt like stolen innocence.

Twisted and spoiled, ripped at the seams followed by a ravenous hunger and a conscienceless grotesque like instinct… something to be abhorred. And then I was struck by the similarity it had with the dreams I'd been having.

The creatures had been huge and monstrous… and they'd chased children.

What the _hell_ could I do against something like that?

Standing there my hand fisted and the ball fell from my arms were I'd been cradling it.

It rolled away trailing down the park into the crevices of the surroundings…

…And a clogged foot that went past my notice stopped its course before pulling it into the shadows with him.

* * *

**The following days…**

Kurosaki?

He could be really sneaky when he wanted to be.

It started off simple.

I'd be sitting in class and since we had similar class schedules I figured, _without_ a high-flying sense of self importance, he'd be given the opportunity to try something. But he never did.

And it bugged me.

At first anyway.

For the first three days he'd just watched me as if he was trying to figure out an equation. He'd chew down on a pencil end as he'd stare at me, looking closely at the nuances in my behaviour.

Every now and then I'd turn to tell him off for gazing trying very hard not to blush as I had been doing quite a lot lately thanks to him. In reaction he'd merely shrug, lift up his hands or eyebrows (it varied) and say, "What? What did I do?"

That's when I broke my first pen.

And he'd grinned. A _full_ grin. Full of immature mischief. The fact that I'd gone red afterwards probably made him feel like a winner.

I knew he was curious and probably fractious. I'd told him I could see spirits just like he could and he'd been rewarded by my absence.

Fear prevented me from opening up again.

And then there was the boy in the playground. The one I hadn't been able to save. That night I'd been plagued again by vivid nightmares and visions.

Something, somewhere, had cracked.

And the boy was a rudimentary example of the fallout.

I felt like such a failure.

Instead of moving on to heaven he'd been taken.

And there was nothing I could do but squeeze my hands into fists until they bled.

That night I'd wanted to confront Jihi and Chiyu, the people who told me that no one else but me could see spirits.

But I hadn't said a word.

…Because that would have incriminated Kurosaki…

Who wasn't like me. Not a freak or a failure. I could see it in his aura. He was someone born with an exceptionally high level of spiritual particles and it allowed him to do all the spirit channelling he did.

I didn't have spiritual particles. I had no idea who or what I was.

So anyway…

Back to Ichigo's bold face stares with a pen in his mouth and a thoughtful scowl on his face.

Our friend's reactions to the staring Kurosaki proved amusing… at my expense.

When Keigo had found Kurosaki doing his thing on the afternoon of the second day he thought that the orange head had a crush on me.

The image of Kurosaki 'crushing' on anyone made me laugh till my sides hurt. Tatsuki joined me there, though our reasons were opposite.

And when Keigo attempted to question Kurosaki about it… it went a little something like this.

"Ichigo! Hey buddy listen… do you have a thing for Mai because well… you're totally _staring_ at her dude!"

"Mm."

Was 'Mm' even a word? He was just sat at his desk in the middle of the room and was looking at me with a pen in his hand. I really hope that the pen is not symbolic.

Undeterred Keigo plodded on. "And, you know, since she's my hero and all… if I lost her to you… I just want you to know… it would be cool."

The act of camaraderie went completely unnoticed as Kurosaki lent his chin on one hand sending his thoughtful scowl in my direction and never… _ever…_ _sodding_ _ceasing_!

That's when Keigo began to twitch with nerves. This was indeed bizarre behaviour; Ichigo Kurosaki would normally rise to such bait as this given his temperament.

Keigo gulped and rubbed his hands together sending looks requesting for aid off of Mizuiro and Tatsuki who shook their heads in unison. They probably didn't give a crap.

"Soooo…er w-well, Ichigo? …You're _really_ starting to _freak_ me out _man_! Come on!"

To this there was the smallest of movements on the part of Kurosaki as he switched hands. Keigo almost bounced with joy. Without looking away form me however and as I began to sweat and shake with annoyance he spoke dully.

"Keigo…I'm trying to concentrate here."

His friend froze in shock as his eyes popped. I whirled around to stare equally stunned at Kurosaki whose left eyebrow rose when he saw my face. Tatsuki and Mizuiro blinked, even Orihime and Chizuru looked up from their books.

What could he _possibly_ be trying to concentrate on _that_ _hard_?

After three seconds of silence, Kurosaki seemingly oblivious raised his pen occupied hand off of the table in a small quick wave at me. "Hey."

I sent him a look that clearly said he was insane. He shrugged. My face slammed down on my desk and I stayed like that throughout the rest of the lesson.

When the bell rang I bolted.

And things only got worse. Once rumours started out that Kurosaki liked me, no matter how laughable it was, I became the negative focus of a group of girls, mixed years who fancied the pants off him. Knowing that he was as intimidating as they come however prevented them from upping their game to gain his attention. Unfortunately it also meant that any other poor bugger who took a remote liking to him was punished. Add these girls to the other group that hates me and I'm priority number one at Karakura High. Fortunately their threats were kind of lame; it involved sharpie pencils on lockers etc. It was fine. I got back at them… with acrylic pant.

And just as I was packing away my paint (four days later) I saw Kurosaki come in through the entrance doors.

He looked at me with his bag in one hand over his shoulder all devil may care as I looked back at him, yet again frozen

"…You can't avoid me forever you know."

For the past four days he'd upped the performance or whatever the hell he was doing. He'd pop up at random and purposely yell, "Hey!" Or "Mai!" in an uncharacteristically cheerful voice that caused everyone to turn. Sometimes he'd show up outside of my classes just to catch me off guard.

Then the messages in class started, which was exactly what got me in trouble with his fans.

It was such a small thing too… well not really, but nothing for them to worry over.

The paper had landed on my desk without sound but I'd felt the air brush over my hand as it did. I looked to my right and saw Kurosaki scowling at me again but this time his eyes were challenging. He was serious and for once he deserved that I take him as such.

The note had said: **So, are you going to talk to me at all this year Mai? **

I sent one back: _As long as it's not about ghosts, sure._

Then back to him: **What's the big deal about it? You see them. I see them. It's not like I'm going to think you're weird or anything.**

…_That's not the point Kurosaki. I'm… trouble._

**So am I.**

_I'm serious._

**So am I.**

_Not like me, I'm worse._

…**Somehow I doubt that.**

_You don't know me._

**I think I pointed that out in the bathroom last week. That can change you know. Again, what's the problem? You see ghosts and so do I. We should be able to talk about it. Not hide behind it.**

…_What if things get worse… or you don't like what you hear?_

**I'll take that as it comes. That's what friends do, if you want one. **

…_The last friend that I had tried to kill me._

…

_Exactly._

…**What happened? Tell me.**

_It wasn't anything serious. I didn't even like the person all that much. But I was lured into a false sense of security that he took advantage of._

…**Wasn't anything serious? He tried to kill you and it wasn't anything serious?**

_Nope. I beat the crap out of him. He's still in a coma._

…**Oh.**

_I'm kidding… sort of. He woke up about a year ago. But he'll probably be in physical therapy for the rest of his life._

…**Right.**

_Like I said… I'm not a nice person. _

**How incredibly honest.**

_Look being my friend for the sake of school is one thing, but putting your trust in me is another._

…**I'm willing to take that risk.**

I didn't answer back and luckily the bell rang for seventh period.

Why was he so interested? I mean genuinely too.

And now with him standing there at the double doors in the second week of May my will was crumbling.

…He wasn't the only one intrigued. He was just the only one not afraid to understand.

My shoulders slumped and I sighed.

"…I'm not trying to avoid you."

He scoffed, I couldn't blame him. "You could have fooled me."

My eyes closed. "I just…" I put down the can of paint and I saw his eyebrows almost comically point towards them and he looked back at me with a question mark on his face. In answer I gestured at the back row of lockers all previously pink and girly. Now however they were decorated black and purple with a slew of skulls, the painting 'The Scream' inspiring several parts and other nasty things. I'd come to school deliberately early for my revenge. The Barbie dolls where going to flip.

I saw him sweatdrop. "…Not bad." Then he focused. "Actually that _is_ pretty good. I think you've found your calling."

"Art?"

"Pissing off chicks."

The laugh that tore out of me reverberated off the walls and a look of quiet triumph echoed in his eyes as he watched me. First, Kurosaki had said 'chicks'; it sounded so American and unexpected coming out of his mouth it tickled me. Second… I really was good at pissing off girls… at least compared to making friends with them.

I quieted and saw people gathering to the doors behind him as the first bell of the day drew closer. He looked back at them too and sighed. Then he started walking past me.

"If you change your mind today let me know… but if you really don't want to I'll understand and… I won't bother you again."

He left me in the hall as he continued towards his locker.

I stayed standing still as the crowd of students rushed in from the wind, all laughing, red faced and talking with enthusiasm.

…I felt sick with myself. He'd offered me his hand countless times over the past week and a half and all I'd done was turn away. Like a coward. Like a…

…_**a waste.**_

My eyes widened and the memory trespassed into my vision, the sound of the students slamming lockers echoing in the background.

…_**Such a waste of perfectly good breathing space. Why are you even alive anyway? What's your purpose… except being a total freak of course? You're worth nothing. You're a disease… a curse. And everybody, us and your family would be better off without you here.**_

_**And you know it too don't you?**_

_**You know what you did. What you keep doing. All you do is hurt people… you bring forth darkness. **_

_**You're evil.**_

_**And evil… it has to be sterilized… and then executed.**_

_**Wouldn't you prefer to die Mai, knowing what you've done?**_

_**Are you afraid Mai?**_

_**Are you going to run like the coward you are?**_

Like a punch I forced the memory back under its original lock and key.

Yeah… the guy had really deserved to get laid out in the hospital…

Even if a part of me still wonders at the truth of his words.

I looked down the hall to where Kurosaki had gone and made my decision.

* * *

"Alright class! Onwards in contemporary Literature! The connections between cultures!"

Miss Ochi as always arrived into her classes with double the energy of any student. She was an odd one who _allowed_ allowances towards certain pupils because, in my opinion, her eyes saw more than we thought they did.

As she went off on a tangent about how she met an old boyfriend whilst studying literature (and as Keigo asked far too personal, intrusive and all out shameful questions about said affair) I looked at Kurosaki who was behind me, to my left looking out of the window.

I threw him a note. He blinked and looked around finding my face. I looked away towards Ochi. Curious, I saw him open the note out of the corner of my eye.

…_You're not a bother._

That's all I put.

Ten _long_ seconds later…

**I know.**

Oh so it was going to be like this huh? I looked back over my shoulder at his nonchalant self looking at his finger nails.

_Well at least I know you hold yourself in such high esteem._

And it started again.

**I wasn't the one who was being difficult.**

_No you were just the one who wouldn't. Stop. Staring. At. Me. You didn't say a word; you just stared._

**Hey, it did the job.**

_Huh?_

**It made you look back.**

…_I see._

**I was trying something my dad once told me. He said if you stare at a person's back hard enough they'll turn round. It didn't matter if it worked or not, as long as it annoyed you. **

_You little…_

**Plus… I was trying something out.**

_Something?_

…**I wanted to see if I could sense you the same way you did that woman's husband.**

_Have any luck?_

…**Not sure yet.**

_That was decidedly ambiguous._

**So I'm mysterious, sue me.**

_If you mean suspicious, infuriating, stubborn, big headed and annoyingly persistent then yeah you're mysterious._

**Do you want to know what I think of you?**

_No._

**Tough! You too are stubborn and you really are secretive and mysterious. You're also nosy, bottled up, maddening… and too intriguing for your own good.**

_Uh… wow… Was that a compliment? _

**You're also vulnerable and terrified.**

_Okay, now I'm feeling a little… I'm not sure I want to be talking about what seems so inconspicuous to the others and yet so obvious to you. _

**Then tell me after school. I'll walk you home.**

_Do you even know where I live?_

**I asked Mizuiro who hacked into the school's computer and stole your details.**

…_How persistent of you._

**I was bored.**

_Uh huh. _

**So… is the ghost topic still out of the question? **

_Ask me any question Kurosaki. I'll answer._

When I looked back at him a few minutes later I noticed an incredibly small but still present up-turn to his mouth as he looked out the window to his left.

I'd made the right decision.

* * *

"You find Kurosaki scary Michiru?"

It was lunch and the girls including yours truly were sitting in an unused classroom.

Being the shy girl she is when the topic of the schools reputed 'lookers', 'trouble makers' and 'bad boys' were brought into question she immediately told us that Sado Yastoda was too tall and that every time she looked up at him she couldn't meet his face fully out of fear. Ichigo Kurosaki's face was apparently daunting in its own right; the rumours about his so called delinquency egging the irrational fear.

"Do you think maybe he scowls all the time because he thinks bad thoughts?" Michiru Ogawa asked tentatively.

_Er, what? Oh brother…_

Tatsuki waved a dismissive hand towards her. "That's just attitude Michiru."

"Well…" Ryo said as she peeked at us from over her manga. "…He is kind of intimidating. Not that I care." She turned a page.

Tatsuki nodded in thought. "He'd be good looking if he didn't scowl all the time."

"That orange hair of his should be made illegal!" Pushed Chizuru as she intently watched Orihime's lips descend over her straw.

Then Mahana spoke up. "Actually… I think his hair is pretty hot." So said the man eater.

"What, really?" Yelled Michiru, eyes wide in astonishment.

Mahana nodded. "Think about it. In two years that boy's going to be a hottie!"

Tatsuki chomped on her sandwich. "I concur." She spoke as if they were talking about maths.

By now I was in serious frown mode myself.

What did _I_ think of Ichigo Kurosaki?

We all heard Orihime sigh and looked at her as she gazed dreamily into space. I had to smile. "Actually recently… I think he's… I mean his face is so… so… heheheheHAHAHAHAHAA! IT'S SO FUNNY!"

Her hands flashed over her mouth as she laughed out of her shoes. Seriously, she literally fell out of them as she landed on her butt.

Afraid for her health I looked over towards an _unconcerned_ looking Tatsuki with a dead pan expression. "Translation if you please."

The martial arts student sighed. "Orihime has vivid daydreams."

And that was that.

"I saw you passing notes in class."

Of course the ever present Ryo Kuneida would notice such a (not quite so) covert exchange between us.

I shrugged casually. "We were talking about Tatsuki's club." Lying came alarmingly easy to me.

Said tomboy raised an inquiring eyebrow. "Really? Why?"

"…He said I used too much orange in its promotional campaign."

Mahana's face fell. "…That's it? _That's_ what you were smirking about in class?"

I'd smirked in class? …_Okay. _Nodding I answered. "Yes… What's the problem?"

Noticing their changed faces I hesitatingly asked. "Wait, where you _all_ watching us?" _What_?

Furtively they looked at each other as Orihime tilted her head at me without shame, Michiru fidgeted and Tatsuki had an incredibly curious look on her face.

"How did he know about the promotional banners? He didn't show up for club signing or orientation." She said aloud to the room.

I didn't see the harm of explaining. "Oh, he came in the gym when I was painting."

Tatsuki blinked as Chizuru and Mahana leaned forwards. "_Really_?"

For a second Tatsuki actually looked hopeful and I didn't understand why. "What is it?" I asked her.

She scratched her head. "No I just… I thought he might be interested in joining." She was telling the truth but only in part.

"Did you use to practice karate together?"

She looked up at me then grinned in enthusiasm. "Yeah! We started when we were four years old. I used to love fighting him. I beat him all the time… until middle school."

"…And he hasn't asked to spar since?" I deduced.

The forced nonchalance in her shrug made me swallow.

Chizuru patted her shoulder and Tatsuki visibly shuddered as the alleged lesbian breezed by. "It's _his_ loss Tatsuki. Rough housing with a girl would be considered by most hot blooded men as close to heaven as can be… and some hot blooded women too!" She added as her glasses sparkled and she focused her gaze on Orihime who was stuffing her little face in.

She was rewarded with a face full of floor.

"Get your mind out of the gutter!" Yelled Tatsuki whose foot was still in the air having tripped the vivacious red head.

"It's _my_ mind!" She shouted back from the floor.

The rest of us ignored the sounds of Tatsuki beating the crap out of Chizuru as Ryo spoke to me again.

"You need to watch yourself today Mai, the fan girls are out for blood this time."

"I'll keep that in mind." I wasn't exactly quivering in fear.

She smiled and took off her glasses rubbing her fingers over her eyes. "Seriously… apparently they've upped their game, especially after that little prank you did on their lockers. Thought I'd give you a heads up. I was going to do something but…" She yawned putting her glasses back on and went back to her book. "…I thought you could handle them yourself."

Was her faith in me real or was she just incredibly apathetic… or lazy?

Even so I agreed to pay attention to my surroundings.

* * *

Saying one thing and doing it? Two _very_ different things…

The moment I'd stepped out the doors of the science building after the second to last lesson post lunch, the aficionado bunnies who had impeccable timing this afternoon somehow chose the one and only moment where my mind had wandered off somewhere past the stratosphere.

It only came back down to earth once I felt the freezing cold water slap my back, soak me to the bone and give me brain freeze.

The hair that had fallen out of my loose plat was plastered to my face as I dripped and I heard laughter and jokes being reverberated around the small crowd that had begun to gather.

Shaking myself like a wet dog I forced myself to look up at the building behind me and was just able to sneak a peak at a group of girl's four stories up pulling a large bucket back into the classroom and locking the window.

Luckily it wasn't cold out.

Still… I was… kind of… kind of mad.

I waved good naturedly at the crowd and shuffled off over to the sports closet in the yard. Paper towels. Where are the paper towels?

My blazer was soaked. My pants were soaked. My _white_ shirt was soaked so I couldn't take my blazer off to dry without supreme embarrassment on my part.

And _again_… because the universe has it written in stone… _guess_ who just _had_ to show!

"Why are you all wet?"

BINGO! Kurosaki! How predictable! You're timing is faultless!

I closed my eyes for a moment at his derisive tone before turning slowly back to look at him as my clothes leaked water.

Then I blinked. He wasn't alone, Sado was there with him. Better and better! Let's add to the mortification shall we?

The water slid into my eyes as I said. "I felt like taking a shower outside. Surprisingly refreshing." I added with a thoughtful raise of my eyebrows.

Kurosaki didn't find this amusing however. "_Right_."

In fact his lips under turned in annoyance with the scowl threatening his features for the evident explosion that would probably burst out of him in 2015. Sado didn't pull any expression.

But he did speak.

"The second years got you… didn't they?"

How did he know… well it was close I guess.

"Hole in one." I affirmed.

Kurosaki's face grew to a whole knew level of seriousness as his eyebrows furrowed.

"Why?"

I shrugged. "Neh."

"_Neh_?"

I nodded. "Neh."

His temple throbbed. "What the…? _Neh isn't a word_!" He shouted at me as I passed him.

"It is now, and I'm using it. Excuse me for a minute."

His eyes followed me. "What are you doing?"

I frowned for a second as I reached for the outside tap. "Aren't you two supposed to be in class?

They both shrugged in indifference and I sweatdropped.

The water ran into the ground and I watched it for a moment.

"You're wasting perfectly good water." Kurosaki's patronising tone reached me and I resisted the urge to pull at my hair.

"Who died and made you king of water resources?"

"Emperor of the Universe. It says so on my birth certificate." He said seriously and I smiled appreciatively, trying to hide it behind my fallen hair but knowing he could still see the expression and _knowing_ that it would make him that much more infuriating.

I ignored him and pointed at a bucket inside the sports closet. "Could you pass me that please Sado?"

He did so immediately and without making a sound.

"Why don't you call him Chad?" Kurosaki asked.

"Sado's his name after all." I said and looked at the Mexican. "What would you prefer?"

"Either's fine."

I looked at Kurosaki. "See?"

He just rolled his eyes… then question marks begun to sprout up all over his fore head as he watched me fill up the bucked with the water.

"Er… what are you…" He hesitated.

I heaved the now heavy bucket up into my arms, nodded at the two dudes and walked away. They watched me go, expressions of bewilderment on their mugs and question marks popping up over their heads.

And the sad thing? I waited for a full hour for the final bell to ring.

Lamely I'd used my ability to find the specific trio of nutters. There were more than them but these three obviously had issues in security. This is why I decided I'd go easy on them.

My self control was twanging. It hadn't snapped or even cracked but it had bended and I was itching to do _something_.

So when the group of pom pom-less cheerleaders stepped out of the front doors they were met with a body full of freezing cold water.

Of course they screamed obligatorily and spastically jumped up and down… _and_ whinged.

They saw me through their drowned hair and screamed. "YOU!"

I didn't smile, but remained passive as everybody else around them laughed their asses off.

Normally I'd feel bad for them but… they'd brought this down on themselves.

"That should cool you off… refreshing isn't it?"

My uniform was still damp. But surprisingly my mood was quite high in the sky.

"WE'LL GET YOU FOR THIS!" One of them shrieked and the people around them covered their ears.

I shoved my hands in my pockets. "Try it. The worst you can do is get me suspended and I can weave a story as good as the best of them. By the time I'm through you'll have the reputation of the worst kind of student."

They looked at me with silent daggers that slowly turned to fearful ones as my eyes bored holes into their corneas.

I threw the bucket at the middle one who jumped; the remaining water sloshed on her shoes.

This time I really did smirk "You can have that back. Normally I'd have countered at least twice as strong but…" I shrugged and my smirk dropped as my energy pulsed of its own accord darkening my stare. "…I had reservations about whether or not you could _actually_ handle that."

Though the girls couldn't see ghosts or sense energy they still felt the unrelenting pull in the air and the threatening aura that enacted their own instincts for self preservation… no matter how crappy they may be.

Then they jumped stupidly when I smiled cheerily at them. "Adios!" I looked around noticing that some of the stares from the students were admiring… _some_ of them. "…This was fun."

I turned around and walked towards where I'd placed my bag at the gates.

"Way to step on their toes Mai."

Kurosaki was waiting around the other side of the gate. Then I remembered: he wanted to talk.

"I know it was balls-y and it might make me a target but…" I started as I turned towards him, "…I'm not the only one who stands out." My eyebrows rose as if daring him to say otherwise.

He didn't. Instead he and Sado (yeah he was there too) stepped towards me.

"Are you alright?" Sado asked me quietly.

I bobbed my head once.

Then he watched as my eyes trailed from him to Kurosaki's hair. It was glowing in the afternoon sun and I just stared. For no reason. It had been a long day.

_His_ eyes narrowed and before he could pass an angered remark to what he thought was a snarky comment coming his way I spoke.

"Your hair, it's very… _orange_."

For a second he just stared at me. Then he rolled his eyes at my, _oh so_ clever deduction. "…I _know_." Then he shook his head. "What is it with _you_ and _colour_?"

I snapped out of my day dream. "What? I can't help it if you're both beautifully coloured can I?" Then I blanched. Oh good lord…

I'd said that out loud.

In apprehension I watched as Kurosaki looked like he was having some kind of asthma attack as a red hue worked its way over his cheek bones. Sado stood there and blinked as Kurosaki started to stutter.

"W-what's _that_ about? You can't just go around saying things like-"

"Why not?" I tilted my head genuinely interested in his opinion of his own hair for a moment. "It's true and since you've both seen yourselves in the mirror everyday… I didn't think it would come as such a surprise." I shrugged. "_You've_ got beautiful hair…" I gestured passed a shell shocked Kurosaki towards Sado. "…_He's_ got beautiful skin. I don't get what's wrong?"

"!"

The red on his cheek slowly pooled down over his face as his brain did a full meltdown.

"Er… you alright there Kurosaki?"

Sado placed one large supporting hand on his shoulder (see guys can be dramatic too) and Kurosaki seemed to come back himself as he coughed. "_It's_…" He winced, his voice was all high pitched and he cleared his throat. "I-it's nothing."

I frowned. Was it something I said? What did I do wrong? It's a blatantly obvious scrutiny that both these guys have good colouring…

Then it clicked. "Oh…_Oh_ you're _embarrassed_ _aren't_ _you_?"

He whirled on me still flushing furiously. "WHAT?"

"_You're all red_!"

"That's because you say _stupid things_!"

"How was that stupid? I was paying you a _compliment_!"

"Compliment my ass!"

"Wha…?"

"You don't go around telling guys they're _beautiful_!"

"I didn't say _you_ were _beautiful_! I said your hair was!"

"It's the same thing!"

"No it isn't! God I wasn't wrong was I? You really do have a grandiose sense of self importance!"

"EXCUSE ME!"

"Take it like a man Kurosaki! You're hair is beautiful and that's that!" I rounded on Sado, thoroughly confused with myself and the _incredible orange headed one _and pointed at his arm. "And _you_! You have lovely skin! ALRIGHT?"

I stomped off around the gate, past the two idiot guys because boy's… are… just… ah!

Why didn't Pei warn me about them?

"OI, WAIT UP!"

For the love of…!

"WHAT?" I surprised myself… I rarely shout.

Then again… I've never had much to shout about… or anyone to shout at.

Kurosaki caught up with me, still red and grumbling but looking at me all the same. We started walking in a slightly awkwardly silence. Now I felt like an idiot for ever opening my mouth to him and kept glancing at him anxiously. What was he thinking?

"You know…"

I looked at him to see his eyes pondering my person and raised an eyebrow.

He shook his head as his blush subsided and he frowned at me as he finished his sentence.

"…You're really weird."

Well it could be a lot worse.

Wait…

"Where's Sado?" He wasn't walking with us.

"Chad's got some place to be." He answered.

"Oh."

"…Unless you _want_ him to hear _this_ conversation?"

I smiled and shook my head mutely.

"So…" He looked at me side on. "Are you going to run off or can I ask you some questions now?"

* * *

We walked slowly.

It was a fresh afternoon and sunset wasn't quite here yet. He'd shown me a few short cuts since I was new to the area. Still, his house was kind of far from the school.

After a few minutes the 'talk' started. At first it was about little things, things of no relevance but then they turned into something more inquisitive.

His shoes had quietly clopped on the side walk when he opened his mouth startling the silence.

"How old were you when you first started seeing ghosts?"

I blinked. "Oh, er… about three years old."

He looked at me surprised. "That young?" I nodded. "Oh… I was about six or seven when I began seeing them."

"Well… I didn't exactly see the same things that you saw…" I explained.

He frowned (not sure how you can frown over a scowl but it is indeed possible).

"What do you mean?" He prodded.

"Well… Could you differentiate between ghosts and the living at first?"

I could tell he was wondering where I was going with this.

He shook his head. "No, I often confused the two."

I continued. "Well I didn't even see ghosts at first… I saw lights."

"Huh?"

"I saw lights." I repeated. "When I was a toddler I use to see these figures of glowing energy that just looked like different kinds of light. 'Pretty lights' I use to say when I saw one. I even got taken to an optometrist to make sure that I wasn't seeing something on my retina." He nodded, listening with his ever present frown.

"I use to follow them around too. They drew me too them, I felt a pull which made me go after them. But sometimes having a three year old wandering around following lights could be kind of dangerous so I stopped doing it." I shrugged. "After a couple of years or so the 'lights' started to solidify and become clearer… and I began to see the soul underneath their own energy."

Now he looked confused again so I explained. "I see aura's; the energy that exists within the living, the dead etc. Physical energy… spiritual energy too…" I shook my head. "Strange though that I never questioned the transition. They were just like fire flies; sometimes you get confused by the light and you can't see the creature behind it."

"…Pretty big fire flies." Kurosaki said after a moment.

"Yeah… human sized." I agreed. "What do you see?" I asked tentatively.

"Not what you see. I don't see… energy. I just see the soul. As clear as day."

I wondered what that was like. Did it ever drain him? Did he ever get headaches?

And why wasn't I asking?

We walked in silence some more before he spoke again.

"So… that's you is it?"

I looked at him in question and he gauged me shrewdly. "That's all there is to you? I get the feeling there's more to it than that."

How did he…?

He waited patiently as I lifted my hand to rub the back of my neck. Then I smiled sheepishly and he looked at it.

"Yeah… I'm kind of… clairvoyant." I laughed insecurely at his widened eyes. "It's nothing really! It's just sometimes I dream… and stuff… so yeah."

His eyes were doing an almost too close for comfort examination of me and I couldn't read him. I'd fibbed a little but all in all it was also the truth. I just didn't know how to explain the rest.

Then the smallest of smiles graced his face and he shook his head. _Why?_ He stared ahead.

"How does that work?" He asked quietly as we watched the traffic go by on the main road.

"Not sure really… but I can block most of it. Sometimes though they seep through and what I see isn't always easy to understand." I waited for a moment, holding my inhale as I worried over the next sentence. I saw his eyes flicker back to mine from the side and it blurted out of my mouth.

"I dream of monsters in Karakura. They attacked and… then there was nothing I could do."

He didn't say anything as we crossed a road and I figured he thought I was delirious or something.

So I changed the subject.

"What about you? Have ghosts always come to you for aid like they did the other day?"

It took him a minute before he slowly shook his head. "No… no this is different from before. They didn't use to bother me so much until recently."

…_Me too. _"How recent is recent?" I dared ask.

His tone turned to a self sardonic tenor. "Recent as in the start of High School… It's going to be one _long_ ride."

I hummed in agreement and thought a little more as we walked through Kasazaki lower district.

"I feel like something's changed, gone out of alignment or… _something_…" I muttered.

Then I stiffened; now I really sounded moronic, or worse! Like one of those old gypsy fortune tellers. I sounded like an old bag with a black cat and a crystal ball at an amusement park, the kind you tried to ignore but humoured all the same out of some bent curiosity.

But Kurosaki just blinked my way and after a moment's pause nodded. "Yeah."

I relaxed in relief, _thank God_ for his open mind.

"You see it as an annoyance don't you?" I asked.

His scowl softened but he didn't speak. It was like he didn't know what he thought.

I sighed. "I use to see it as a gift."

"_Use_ to?" He asked.

I cocked my head to the side and pondered. "Use to?"

After a moment Kurosaki nodded.

He got it. He understood. I wasn't sure about it either… Was it an accidental gift? Or did it have a true purpose? Did it mean anything?

I think it did.

We were just passing Kasazaki supermarket and I did the spontaneous thing as my stomach quietly rumbled.

"I think… I need chocolate." I pointed at the large mart you couldn't possibly miss and he sweatdropped. "Love the choc stuff." I bit my lip and waited.

Kurosaki looked at me like I was on crack. Yep, I'm so random it hurts.

I tried smiling slightly. "Here, I'll buy you some too."

He waved a hand in dismissal but I spoke over him, embarrassed at my admittance.

"You need it! You're a growing guy, er boy- no lad! _Man_! …_Sorry_." I winced. I was going to need lessons in how to act socially around new friends.

With a slightly open mouth he stared as I hurried to the supermarket entrance doors that swished open at my presence. I looked back at him and saw a smirk that made me blink.

"I can't _believe_ you just said that."

And my humiliation left me with a self-conscious smile. "Yeah, me neither… It made you blink though huh?"

* * *

We ended up sharing half a bar each; I wasn't the only chocoholic around.

"Hey Kurosaki?"

"Hmm." He was still munching.

"Do you actually have to walk this far everyday to get to school?"

He shrugged. "Give or take five minutes, yeah. Sometimes I take the bus though."

No wonder he was so lean.

Then of course (I'm thinking that both Kurosaki and me are like magnets) just as we neared a corner in a residential district of Minamikawase we were almost knocked down by some skater guys.

"Whoa!" I jumped to the side just in time to avoid one of them when he didn't notice me.

I got a good look at their clothes; they were 18 year old punks.

"OI!"

Kurosaki pushed me into the wall at the corner as another skate boarding loon rolled past hollering at his buddies and I blinked in surprise. Kurosaki barely grazed my shoulder and yet he'd been able to shove me. I really didn't need him to act the fearless protector but something in my gut told me to ride with this one.

"Not these guys again!" He complained and scratched the back of his neck. "Give me a sec…" He added as he walked around the corner.

"But…" I started…

…And immediately shut up when I saw Kurosaki passively deck an incoming skater. The guy hit the concrete quicker than the fist that felled him.

Whoa… I kept forgetting that the first time I saw this guy he was fighting a gang of seniors almost single handed and made them cry home to their mommies.

Alright-y then.

Bouncing on my feet I ignored my surroundings at first but after a while it just sounded too interesting to take no notice of.

So I poked my head around the corner, my eyes naive and wide when I witnessed the following.

"Li'l Yama's down! We've gotta help im!" One of them yelped as Kurosaki stood there making some huge guy's face eat dirt with the sole of his school shoe.

And like that first day at school, his face was completely cool.

The others though didn't look like they were up to the task however.

They cowered together and I practically heard them tremble. "This is messed up… _Real_ messed up!" All three remaining skaters gulped as one and started to sweat when Kurosaki turned to look at them. "That's one bloodthirsty berry head. He's a stone-cold psycho! Mess with him and he'll _kill_ you!"

"SHUT UP YOU CHIMPS!" Kurosaki's foot stayed positioned on the big guy's head as he pointed a finger behind him. "YOU SEE _THAT_?" All head's turned to look.

'That' being a fallen bottle of flowers next the side of a pole that featured a picture of a small girl.

They'd knocked over a memorial offering when they'd skated through.

Kurosaki's face had this manic glint in it and the barest hint of a sadistic smirk when he rounded on the group. Kind of freaky but it made me want to smirk too.

"FIRST QUESTION! WHAT IS THAT? YOU!" He pointed at the dude in the middle who jumped. "The smelling looking one! Answer!"

Smelly _looking_?

The guy pointed at himself with a shaking finger. "H-huh? Me? Is it an offering for some dead kid?"

Wow… tact.

A left foot slammed into the guys face, making him flip over backwards. "Check out the brain on smelly!" Kurosaki shouted.

"Li'l Mitch!" One of the remaining two cried.

What's with the Li'l?

Kurosaki stepped back. "QUESTION TWO!" He yelled and the two dudes checking on their friends stiffened. "Why is that vase lying on its side?"

They looked up fearfully.

"Dats cuz we knocked it over with… our…s-skateboards?"

"Is that _so_? Well…" Then his face morphed into manic fire as he pointed to his left. "THEN YOU'D BETTER APOLOGISE TO _HER_ THEN HUH?"

'Her' being the ghost of the girl in the picture. And just for extra effect half of one side of her face was caked in blood… and she was floating.

Needless to say the group scarped out of there pretty quickly.

"WE'RE SOOOORRRRRRYYYYYY!

Kurosaki crossed his arms and watched them go. "I don't think they'll be back." Then he turned his head towards where I was and sweatdropped when he saw my bug eyed face poking around the corner.

"Er…Mai, get over here."

He turned towards the ghost as I moved forward. "Sorry about that. I forgot about those guys." He glanced at me full scowl, "It's been a _hectic_ day." I stared stonily back and he ignored me.

The ghost shook her head. "Its o.k., I asked you to get rid of them yesterday, I was glad I could help."

He nodded. "I'll bring you some new flowers tomorrow."

The girl smiled sweetly. "Thank you. I think now I can rest in peace."

He fell into an easy walk beside me and waved back at her without looking. "Yeah, after all you deserve to rest in peace."

We'd passed the next street before I said. "Do you do that a lot?"

He shrugged. "Meh."

"_Meh_?"

"Meh."

"Meh isn't a word."

His eyes glanced towards me from the side. "It is now… and I'm using it."

I rolled my eyes.

He was so nonchalant about it but whatever he likes to think he just provided an unusual form of justice for the dead.

He'd protected the ghost.

That's what he did best.

* * *

"My family owns a clinic." He said after several minutes of daydreaming.

I thought for a second considering the absolute paradox of the whole situation. "So… they are entrusted with the lives of the living and _you_ the…"

"Dead?" He added helpfully.

I nodded. "Kind of ironic huh?"

He was deep in thought so what he said next came out as more of an absent minded remark than anything else.

"I've thought about it."

I stopped when I noticed the building next to me.

"Er, Kurosaki?"

"Yep?"

"…Isn't _this_ where you live?"

The building was a nice sized house linked up to a health centre with the words: Kurosaki Clinic highlighted on the side. Hard to miss.

He stopped short and frowned.

"Oh."

"Yeah."

He looked back towards the way we came. "I thought your house was before mine?"

I moved my fingers in a flipping action. "Other way around. I live in Karakura old town. That's almost 10 minutes that way." I pointed north behind him.

He made a face at himself. "I'll walk you home."

I held out my hands. "I can walk home on my own. So… go on."

I gestured towards his house and he looked at me like I was a dumbass. His arms folded; his stubborn resolve to be a gentleman shinning through. Right now though I didn't need it.

"Kurosaki, _seriously_, it's fine. In fact, I'll walk _you_ to _your_ door!" I was being _playful_ now?

His arms unfolded fast. "_What_?"

I smirked at him as I reached the Kurosaki house gate. "Relax. Nobody will know a _girl_ walked you to your door."

In a flash he was there in front of me bracing himself against the front side of the back entrance/ front entrance (I couldn't tell). He looked petrified.

"If you go in there or _even_ if you _knock_, my dad will _never_ let it go!" He spazzed, looking a bit like a wet noodle.

"_Oookay_ …I'll go home." Strange boy.

I got what I wanted anyway… and I knew he knew that by the way his scowl exacerbated.

I waved at him.

"…See ya." He replied grudgingly.

His eyes watched my back until I'd rounded the corner of his street… and then slowly they widened with bewilderment as he saw me rush back towards him. He sweat dropped as I barged back through his gate with a determined blush on my cheeks.

"Change your mind or something?"

His question stopped me for a moment. "Er…change my mind?"

An irritated expression rose on his face as his eyebrow twitched "I _meant_… do you want me to walk you home after all?"

"…No."

"Thought so." He sighed as if to think: _typical of her_. "So what is it?" He asked inquiringly.

I shoved a small piece of paper in front of his face and tried not to look at him as he pulled it away and stared at its contents with his usual scowl.

"…What's this?"

"It's a phone number."

He carried on peering at it.

"It's a _mobile_ number."

"It's _my_ mobile number."

Then he looked at me with a raised brow and I gulped.

"…Why?" He said slowly and suddenly I felt like the worst moron in the world.

"I-it's just…" I fumbled and his other eyebrow rose. "I-it's _nothing_ alright! I just thought that you could put it in your drawer or something in case you need help with a ghost or _something_! _Alright_? You don't have to even keep it!"

He stayed scowling at me and I reddened. "Whatever!"

I stomped away from him, through the garden gate and almost crashed it behind me in an embarrassed huff before remembering what Kurosaki mentioned about his father and seeing the guy's eyes widen in panic, slapped my hand out in time for the gate to tap against my hand instead.

I let out an exhale and ignored him as Kurosaki looked at me patronisingly.

"_Good job_."

"_Shut up_!" I whispered.

"_Whatever_!"

I ran around the corner of the street before he could say anything else.

* * *

This side of Karakura looked oddly peaceful at night; compelling in the desolate kind of sense that gives you the same feelings you get from walking through mist.

It was also darker.

I was a few minutes south of the bright lights of Karakura Old town and in a moment of brainless contemplation chose to take a more unoccupied route home.

Or was fate choosing my actions for me.

The only sound on the gravel was the light slaps of my feet.

So it was pretty easy to hear the clear roll of a tin can as it breezed slowly in my direction across the road. Something had nudged it.

This not being anything strange it didn't exactly make me pause, however…

It brought with it a smell; burnt and sharp.

And a feeling.

One that stopped my casual walk, rooting me in place and made my lashes lift from my eyes to gaze 100 metres up and to the right of my position.

I could have sworn I saw something standing there in the shadows.

There was barely enough light coming from the one street lamp I was stood under to make out what looked like a shady humanoid silhouette. But there was something about it, something dark and unnatural that screamed at me that whatever it was wasn't …_normal_, wasn't human. It wasn't to be conversed with nor show compassion towards.

_It_ was sinister… and thankfully it wasn't looking at me, it was staring ahead at something.

I could hear the tinkling of laughter up in front; some kind of party was being held and the echo of it seemed to distract this creature.

I _wouldn't_ move, not couldn't. If I did then _I_ would distract this creature…

…And my gut told me that that was something I didn't want happening.

It shifted in the shadows.

And then I heard a noise; one that made bile rise in throat from fear.

It sounded like it was sucking in air and the exhale was fiendish. Drawn out and heartless.

It was predatorily instinctive.

And then without so much as a whirr it vanished from sight.

And before I could breathe again in respite I was knocked for a six-er. I wasn't physically attacked but my senses had suddenly gone haywire ramming into my occipital and auditory pathways forcing my eyes open. My head whammed back from the resounding pain of what felt like a nuke going off in my skull only to see…

…Black and white.

And a dark as night creature running towards the sounds of a lively, warm bodied party.

Filled chock full with inebriated youths all willing to gather round in dark corners; to split apart for that last drag of a cigarette… for that final, lustful moment with the object of your affection before morning when they sober up and forget all about what they did with the class nerd…

_And there's always a straggler._

The thought deep with hidden meaning made me want to vomit as my vision began to blur.

I needed to stop it… I… I _had_ to get up. Now. _But what the hell could I do? …_Who _cares_ if I can't do anything? I _knew_ whatever it was… its intentions were purely malignant. Move! My head hurt too much… if it would just stop pounding…

I dropped my face in my hands as my sight died on me and my forehead cracked open. There had to be blood, there _had_ to be a drill forcing its way into the recesses of my mind not knowing about the dark half that awaits me there.

My hands covered my ears and my mouth opened in a soundless scream as I hit the ground.

I figured I blacked out.

One second the pain was so intense I thought I was dieing and the next… clarity.

I had a side on view of the road from my position on the floor. There was no bad smell, no eerie darkness… no strange black and white world…

No creature.

Had that even happened just now?

Slowly and unsteadily I pushed myself up off the pavement noting how clear and yet slightly tipsy everything was. If I came home in this state Jihi would think me drunk…

…Jihi!

I checked my watch ignoring myself as I stumbled in my haste…

I'd only been er… 'out of it' for about ten minutes.

And because tonight was obviously the night that god had chosen for my mind to be completely and utterly messed with I heard the second sound that filled me with a different kind of dread than the first.

A roar so chilling that it made the hair on the back of my neck stand on edge and my stomach clench.

A haunting, despairing cry of the damned.

And the same sense of tortured innocence; of slaved souls and abandoned spirits that hit me in the park, a time that seemed so long ago travelled through the area from afar.

My head whipped towards the sound coming from a distance behind me. A weakening bluish kind of light covered an area before almost immediately vanishing. The roar itself had been far-off and it sounded as if it were already fading.

…Which was excellent giving that I had almost forced myself into a sprint back in the direction of Kurosaki's house.

I was almost completely certain that it had originated there.

Another dizzy spell washed over me and I staggered forwards towards home. My body and mind were unsettled and my soul was aching. Reaching out for something. That eye slowly opening in my dormant self had fully unlocked and I was feeling the effects, desperate for once for someone to come and tell me what was happening to me…

What _was_ happening to me?

* * *

**Chiyu's Onsen**

Being late would normally cost me several minutes of uninterrupted 'Jihi time': AKA an interrogation.

Unfortunately the moment I stepped through the doors…

"…I'm home…" I'd breathed to a shocked Chiyu before crashing onto the wooden floor.

Her face, stark with worry and fear told me how dreadful I must have appeared to her. Well… I certainly didn't feel up to competing in any races any time soon.

I didn't fall unconscious straight away so I had the immeasurably painful honour of witnessing just how much I _really_ affected the Sohma's.

"Mai? MAI!" Chiyu kicked her clogs off as she ran over to my side. She bent down to check my face half pressed into the floor and saw my eyes weakly open. "What is it sweetie? What happened?" She asked taking control of a situation most would have been frantic over. She stroked my cheek before checking my forehead. "Your temperature's normal." The worry in her voice only augmented.

In her fluffy rabbit slippers Pei quietly padded into the vestibule of the Onsen from a side door leading to the house and I knew that she would be the exact opposite of her mother. My eyes closed; too tired to keep them open.

"Mom? Did I hear…?" She looked over at us and shrieked. _Shrieked_.

"MAI! MOM WHAT HAPPENED?" By the sound of her footsteps she'd dropped whatever book she was holding on the floor and had skidded to my side. "WHY IS SHE ON THE FLOOR? WHAT'S _WRONG_ WITH HER MOM?"

For some weird reason she reminded me of Keigo. Huge over-reactor.

Chiyu moved Pei's panicked hands away from me. "Pei, calm down! Now go get your father, we need to move her off the floor to somewhere more comfortable."

Nodding at the order (and maybe because it made her feel less useless) Pei sprinted back into the house yelling for Jihi.

I was fading.

I heard a small pop and something offensive smelling was thrust under my nose and I gasped awake. My fuzzy vision revealed a bottle of smelling salts being stuffed back into Chiyu's flowery kimono.

"Mai, you need to stay awake for a little while longer alright?" She murmured to me and I nodded shakily. I felt unbelievably fragile.

Side on I both saw and heard Jihi's size 12 feet stampeding down the hall, Pei close behind.

"What happened?" He asked and for once the air headed lunatic was gone. There was no sign of the professional wrestler either. Just Uncle Jihi… and a little something more behind his eyes.

He bent on one knee to hold a hand over my hair as Chiyu started talking. "I'm not sure. She came home, looked at me and fell to the floor… She hasn't moved yet."

"Fever?" He asked quietly as he looked into my eyes.

"…No." Chiyu sounded surprised by _that_ more than anything else.

I could feel something inside me, something that had always been there in secret slowly work its way through my body. I just wanted to throw up or _anything_ to get rid of the sensation.

Jihi stared into my eyes looking for something. After a moment he nodded and moved.

"Come on, we need to get her to her room." He placed one of my arms over his shoulder lifting me up off the floor and started walking. Pei rushed to help but he shook his head at her and asked her to get some water and aspirin. Reluctantly she nodded and went to get them. Once out of sight Jihi did something that I wanted to frown at and subsequently brought all thought to a stop.

He bent down, keeping a steady hand around my back and gently tugged my legs off the floor, cradling me to him as if I were a precious commodity and kissed my forehead.

There was a… reverence in his actions

Chiyu, from the small sliver of vision I'd acquired, didn't seem remotely fazed at all by this. Instead she beckoned him forward and down another corridor leading to a hidden door by the side of the kitchen. At this time of night there was no staff to stare at us. I was carried up some stairs and before I knew it I was laid down on my back on the top of my covers. Jihi being tender was not something to be surprised about but he'd held me as If I mattered… as if I were _more…_ important than…

And I heard my family whisper to each other. I only caught bits…

"…_Awakening…"_

"…_it couldn't have, not now. There's no stimulus…"_

"_No fever… her eyes are in pain…"_

"_Do you feel that? This room, it's…"_

"…_Filled. Yeah I know."_

"_Whatever it may be we have to be prepared…"_

"…_help her? There's nothing we can do?"_

"_It 'isn't __**him**__. We would have known…"_

…And that's when my body went into overdrive.

I shuddered and my back stiffened on the bed before my muscles fluxed. My body spasmed and I gasped causing a ripple of activity to whirl around me.

"Chiyu!"

"Hold her down, she could hurt herself!"

I felt hands grip my forearms firmly but without pain and heard Jihi whisper in my ear.

"It's alright… It's going to be alright… you're safe…"

My eyes snapped opened briefly and I heard him gasp.

"WHAT THE DEVIL?"

Through a series of flashes I witnessed in a detached area of my mind as Jihi was slammed across the room into a wall. I collapsed bodily back onto the bed, breathing in hurried gasps as my exhausted physique slowly won out over consciousness.

"_Jihi! Are you alright?"_

"…_I'm fine."_

"_What was that?"_

_Silence._

_" …Jihi?"_

"_Hey, guys where were you? I brought the aspirin… is she alright?"_

"_She'll be fine, she just needs to sleep. Let's give her some room."_

"_But dad…"_

"_No buts Pei, not this time."_

Everything was distorted.

Even my dream world. I felt out of alignment as everything spiralled out of control in a series of pauses and flickers.

The 'crack' was being hammered on.

Not in my mind… in some place hidden.

And it meant the destruction of all.

So of course it had to be a dream, right?

And then as if in answer I travelled on in my sleep far from the crack and the room of pearl white pillars, of the dark plains of the home of ravenous monsters, twisted souls…

I was staring into the face of Ichigo Kurosaki.

I didn't know where we were; the area around his sleeping form was covered in darkness. He lay unburdened by the wear of time.

And then he spoke without opening his eyes, a voice nothing like his own sending me a message.

_**Brace yourself**_

I was careened; forced to move sideways as I was hit with a blinding light and saw…

…A flash of a woman, so petit and young yet her eyes were beautifully knowing eyes and with raven black hair…

She was crying. Desperate tears. Her kimono whiter than her perfect skin…

Her chest pulsated with a powerful obscurity, one that was pulled violently from her chest by a bloodied hand.

…By me.

I shot up out of bed a little disorientated but feeling much better than I had the previous night. My memory was blurry around the edges and I vaguely remember Jihi carrying me to bed… had I hurt him?

My heart rate that had soared when I awoke slowed down as I tried to gather myself.

I still felt somewhat delicate… whatever had started last night hadn't finished yet… and wouldn't because it wasn't an illness… it was transformation. And transformation needs a stimulus.

But _something_ had changed alright.

Plus my vision was freaking me out. I've never had 20:20 eye sight before yet everything was so bloody crystal clear I actually fell over twice on my way to the bathroom to shower.

"Ow… crap." I whispered when my shin cracked against the side of my bed box. I hobbled over to the sink and glimpsed at my face in the small mirror placed there. I didn't look _too_ bad. A little pale… my _eyes_…

They were bolder than before… brighter maybe?

I shook my head and stripped off to stand under hot water as it cascaded down onto my sore head.

Every time I'd look down at my skin I'd see power sparks and fluctuations in colours and rhythms I couldn't place. They were so distracting I avoided looking at myself altogether.

There was a party going on inside my body and I wasn't enjoying myself.

Making my way out of the bathroom I almost dropped my towel when I saw the time. It was only 6 o'clock in the morning. I usually set it for half past six; I was half an hour early already.

But what really got me was that I'd slept for about ten hours. I never sleep for so long.

Hurrying now despite my daze I forced my arms through the sleeves of my uniform and hopped on alternate feet as I slipped on my pants before bolting out the door and downstairs.

Wide eyed with worry I slid on the carpet at the entrance of the living room and saw Jihi and Chiyu's heads snap up from their chopping in the kitchen. Both blinked in shock.

Then it broke.

"Mai!" Jihi called out and he immediately dropped his dishcloth as he rushed over towards me with Chiyu hot on his heels.

His hands frantically patted my forehead, my cheeks, shoulders, my hair because _apparently_ doing so can provide information on a persons health as he blubbered and babbled about how worried he was and by the time he'd finished I was wishing I'd never stepped downstairs to check on them.

"ARE YOU ALRIGHT? MY SECOND DAUGHTER! DO YOU NEED A HUG? _I_ CAN GIVE YOU A HUG! PEI _NEVER_ HUGS ME ANYMORE! WAAAAAAHHH!"

He turned away and sobbed into his hands as Chiyu watched him with a sigh.

Since when did it become all about him?

It was official: lunatic Jihi was present and accounted for. Perhaps last night had really been a dream after all? It was difficult to imagine a serious Jihi… especially the way they'd talked in… my… room…

Wait… they said some things that didn't make sense. I didn't remember all of it.

I blinked back to my senses as Chiyu's fingers clicked crisply in front of my face.

"Mai? Are you alright? You had us concerned there for a while."

I nodded. Hell, I'd had _me_ worried last night. "So… what happened?" I asked quietly.

Jihi turned back to face us and exchanged a perplexed look with Chiyu. "Well, we were hoping you could kind of tell us? I mean…" He shrugged. "All we know is that you came in, collapsed and spent the night tossing and turning." He lowered his arms as he peered at me.

There was no judgment or pressure to tell him anything; just patience.

But I did notice the overly anxious and cautious look in Chiyu's eyes as she smiled at me. She wasn't as efficient at faking emotions as Jihi was.

I frowned softly. "Did I… hurt you at all?" Looking at Jihi I could have sworn I did something.

His eyes enlarged as he blinked and then he laughed his head off all the while trying to dissuade this apparently extremely foolish notion with several exaggerated hand waves.

"_You_? Hurt _Me_? No way." He smiled affectionately and gave me a one armed hug. I couldn't see either of their faces now and got the sudden suspicion that they were exchanging secret looks. I hated thinking like this about my surrogate family. "What made you think you had?" He asked calmly.

I shrugged like the supposedly normal teen I was, the action lifting his arm up a tad. "Just a feeling I guess." I pulled away and glanced at Chiyu who was rummaging through one of the kitchen draws.

Didn't either of them remember or care that I was perfectly capable of physically hurting another human being?

Pushing the thought away and humming to myself I walked towards where the coffee was boiling. A little young, I know, to be hooked on coffee but the stuff was genius in a cup. I poured some and added milk.

I inhaled. "I dreamed last night. It was… disorientating." They knew what I really meant by dreams and I didn't look up at them as I sipped.

"Do you want to talk about them?" Chiyu asked gently.

I shook my head and gave her my best smile.

I kept everything about my expression from the exposed emotions of my eyes to any nuance in my features blank as Chiyu regarded me. Jihi was good at concealing emotion. I was better…

Too good.

A shot of loneliness wedged a sharp knife in my chest and I almost winced. This was the price I paid for lies.

And then a picture of orange flashed in my mind and the knife dulled. I _could_ talk to _him_ now couldn't I? Not about this; I wouldn't even know where to start explaining _this_ situation, but as a person who can understand in some small way… it might be beneficiary to maybe become his… friend?

And again the alien fear of total rejection seeped its way into my bones. What if I weirded him out? And what about last night? Did he still want my friendship? Did giving him my mobile number out of some ridiculous concern leave him feeling as if he'd made a bad decision? When I see him at school should I talk to him first this time? Instigate the conversation maybe?

Oh yeah… I was the lamest girl on earth.

**THUD THUD THUD THUD!**

"MAI!"

"WHOA!"

I was tackled to the side by an over enthused Pei who wrapped me in a bear hug as we toppled onto the kitchen floor.

"You're alright! Yay! I was worried I'd be stuck _alone_ with _these two_!" She ended savagely as she pointed to her parents, one of which rolled her eyes; the other stuck his nose up at her and snivelled.

"Gee Pei! Sniff… were not… _that_ bad! I'm going to watch reruns of my most famous moments in my wrestling career. On TV Pei! And you… can't… STOP ME!"

I sighed and waited on the floor for Pei to want to move.

It turned out she was quite comfortable.

"So you thought I'd died?" I asked incredulously.

She shook her head as she leaned on my shoulder. "Nah, I was just messing with them." She gestured to her parents who ignored us; Chiyu continued cooking breakfast, stepping around us without problem and Jihi made an ass of himself by trying to regain our attention in re-enacting his own starlight-to-stardom precious moments all the while pretending he didn't care what we thought.

"Pei?"

"Yeah Mai?"

"…Are boys _supposed_ to be so… infuriating?"

My question was innocent. I just wanted to discern the feeling; my little experience was confusing me.

As I saw it I currently knew 4 guys at school and only one of them annoyed me in such a way that made me _want_ to spend more time with him. How did that work?

But my question sparked a different reaction to the casual one that I had hoped for.

First off, Pei slowly pulled away from me in an almost zombie like state as her eyes focused down on my face.

Jihi went ominously silent in the living room like a stone statue and Chiyu paused in her movement to reach a spatula.

"You… you made a friend Mai? A _guy_ friend?" Pei asked breathlessly. I blinked and nodded looking to and forth at everyone. "W-what's the problem?" I asked. Didn't she already know that?

Then Pei laughed ecstatically and cadged me in yet another crushing hug.

"Mai's got herself a boyfriend!" She cheered.

I balked. "_What_? I didn't say that! I said are all guys supposed to-"

"…Supposed to be infuriating?" Chiyu smiled suddenly amused and more than a little nosey. "Yes we heard and you didn't say are _all_ guys… you said are _guys_… and from that we can deduce our way through other possibilities and say it's safe to at least _think_ that you've caught the eye of someone _or_ that they've caught yours." She looked all hopeful and excited for me and I wasn't sure why.

"You mean _assume_?" I exhaled. "You know what they say about assumptions don't you?"

"What?" Both Pei and Chiyu asked with tilted heads.

I narrowed my eyes. "They make asses out of you and me."

They both sighed as their heads drooped.

"Pei, please get up, I've got to get ready for school…"

"AARRRRRGGGGHHHHHHH!"

"_JIHI_!"

"LOOK OUT!"

The coffee table came flying out of nowhere; _me_ and Pei ducked under the kitchen counter; Pei clinging to me in shock and me sweatdropping at my stupid uncle.

Jihi's legs came hurrying around the corner.

"MAI'S GOT A BOYFRIEND? DO I GET TO TEST THE DEPLORABLE DEGENARATE?

I scurried form under the table somewhat insulted.

"Okay, if I _did_ happen to get a boyfriend, and lets face it the odds are not high, why would hebe a_ deplorable_ _degenerate_?"

Jihi actually seemed a little speechless as his mouth popped open like a fish.

"And he's _not_ my boyfriend. He's _just_ a friend."

Pei was suddenly standing right there with a finger stroking her chin as her eyes glinted diabolically. "A friend whom you find… _infuriating_."

Chiyu grinned mischievously. "Yes, she _did_ say that didn't she."

My eye twitched. "A _friend_ among the _many_ guy-friends that I've made at high school!"

Jihi choked as Pei sparkled. "_Many_ guy friends? MANY! SHARE MAI!"

"You should introduce us to them sometime Mai." Said Chiyu graciously.

As if coming to some realisation Pei wilted and answered for me sardonically. "…You're kidding right? If she were to bring them here they'll get treated to Jihi's special brand of torture just for the _possibility_ of being a potential candidate for boyfriend status… in so doing erasing any and all chances of that happening in the process." To this I gave the man in question a pointed look which he responded to surprisingly seriously.

"I wouldn't do that. Not to your friends. In this world friends are even more important than education."

Oh… well, that's fair.

Then Pei narrowed her eyes at her mother. "…And don't even get me going on what _you'd_ do."

Chiyu looked at her; the image of innocence and Pei scoffed.

"Why were you asking anyway?" Pei questioned me afterwards as we ate breakfast.

I finished chewing. "No reason…"

She saw right through me and smiled. On this subject she'd always be more knowledgeable and I was grateful at how she made it completely comfortable for me.

She shook her head. "Some guys act differently to others Mai. Many give you the same feeling as the rest but then there are a few that stand out. If you make friends with someone who acts infuriating for you and yet without malice… it can be a… _fun_ friendship. Try to keep it."

She may have been home schooled but back at our previous home Pei had still been able to find a rather large selection of friends even though she ended up loosing them in the end.

I looked to make sure her parents weren't listening. "Except I don't even know if I have his friendship or not." I said quietly. It was part true. Real friendship was different to something that would only last until the summer. And I found I actually wanted to be Kurosaki's friend because… well…

He made me think. And he pushed me. But it wasn't until today that I realised as well that…

…He was remarkable. Genuinely.

And against someone so grey like me he was a rather blinding light.

She watched me for a moment before asking, "Did he instigate first contact?"

A slow smirk worked its way on my face. "_First contact_?"

"Answer the question Mai Li." She poked me with her fork.

I laughed but nodded back at her.

"Does he ask you questions about yourself or does he just sit there and talk about himself or sports or… something that sounds totally like blah blah blah?"

"The former, definitely."

She gave me a winning smile. "Well then you have nothing to worry about! He sounds like a good friend to have! I'm almost jealous." She gave a pitiful sigh.

"But not really seeing as how you want a boyfriend not a _friend_ friend." I added.

She nodded forlornly.

I shook my head and stood up to leave. Chiyu hastened to my side like an 18th century geisha.

"Are you sure you're well enough to go to school today Mai? You still look a little peaky."

"I'm okay, I promise Chiyu."

* * *

Or at least I was until I reached East Karakura: College Town.

My home is actually only ten minutes, at most, closer to school then Kurosaki's was.

Good thing I'd left early; it had taken me more than twice as long to get there meaning I missed the first two periods.

God, my body really didn't like me today.

About a quarter the way there I'd started to shake and if I was pale earlier I was ghostly now. Every time I'd peer into a shop window I'd see the bleak colour of my face but the feature that stood out most were my eyes.

The pale greens stood quite effective against the stark contrast between my skin and their unusual quality. Though pale, they were clear and alive… deeper, and almost too awake.

And then there were the auras that I sometimes saw and ignored on a daily basis…

They were fractured and hectic.

One moment they were there pulsating the next they were in waves fading in and out of sight. Sometimes colourful, other times colourless and on occasion I couldn't see anything at all. Since I could already see ghosts this ability was rendered redundant and as such shouldn't even be in use in the first place. Now it flashed on an off in a headache of shades.

I was incapable of focus and my head was in a dissension: one part mushy and tired, the other far too awake. Neither side could find a way to reconcile with the other.

I arrived at school ten minutes before the third lesson and ended up having to wait outside of the appropriate classroom.

Chad found me sitting on the floor with my back to the wall and my eyes closed.

I felt him before I saw him.

I _felt_ him.

Now I know I can see auras but to feel them? And not like the whole 'feel with my senses' thing but as an actually physical sensation… whole new territory here. I could feel it on my skin. Plus… when did Chad have higher than average levels of energy?

"Hey Sado." I muttered without opening my eyes.

If he was surprised at my intuitive leap he did nothing to show it.

"…Are you alright?" He said in his deep toned voice.

I swear his voice was like morning coffee and caramel with a Mexican twist.

Giving him a small smile in answer I stayed still with my eyes closed. I knew the moment they opened my vision would be drowned by obnoxious and precarious wave rings.

After a moment he shifted and I felt his bag fall near my legs. His body sliding down the wall caused a minor vibration to echo through me as he sat to my side.

Company.

"What are you humming?" He asked quietly.

I jumped and opened my eyes; colour immediately slamming into my vision. I'd been humming 'Numb' by Linkin Park: for me the chorus was the ultimate irony. I sing at random. "It's nothing. Anyway… why are you here so early?"

I tilted my head as I waited for his reply… and _waited_.

Then after more than long enough he spoke. "Ichigo didn't show up for class this morning… I was looking for him."

My chest grew tight.

"Is everything alright?" I asked concerned while keeping my thoughts to myself.

He shrugged and I sweatdropped.

"I came looking for you… you were the last to see him yesterday… so I wondered… if you knew anything."

Crap… crap, crap… crap.

And suddenly I was back in the corner of that side alley looking at the darkness; the creature as it scurried away, the flash of blue light coming from… Kurosaki's house.

Oh Mai, you idiot.

Why didn't you go back and check? You went home and slept when something could be seriously wrong with him!

I felt Sado's hand on my shoulder and realised he'd seen the flare of panic in my eyes.

He was saying everything was going to be fine.

I nodded in an effort to play along.

_**RRRIIINNNGGG!**_

We both got up to enter the classroom when all I really wanted to do was check on Kurosaki…

…God I was slow this morning.

Wasn't I supposed to be able to find people in the din of energy once I'd _already_ felt their energy signatures?

I sat down; Chad a few seats behind me and, for some reason, watching my every move. Maybe I really had worried him; did I look that bad? I placed my book bag on the desk, sat down and buried my face in my hands. Then I closed my eyes; it seemed to help, it was harder to concentrate now because of the clashing auras, my more developed senses. The room was pulsing with different flavours of energy and most of it would normally and probably be stemming from Kurosaki, others from god knows were. Until I got used to it I would have to wait for the energy origins to be revealed.

I concentrated, focusing on the tiny ripples Kurosaki was making in Karakura with every action and every step that he took. I didn't completely believe it would work at first but after a minute I locked onto his signature… it was moving outside of his house.

But the 'look' had only been granted to me for a single moment because for a second time everything went haywire.

From my senses to my body; I could see everything. Everyone _everywhere_ was highlighted in different shades and spectrums, from the classroom to my home.

It was too much information to retain, to allow access to my memory and sensory data core.

And it all came in a series of intense and painful flashes…

…That didn't go unnoticed.

I'd gripped the table hard and it had actually creaked under the pressure. The smallest of gasps escaped my throat as I tried to reign in the shock and my body shook.

I peeked out of the corner of my eye and saw that several members of the classroom were looking at me; some puzzled a few wary, one concerned… Sado, who had half risen from his seat but I just waved him down with a half hearted, affable gesture.

And one class mate was now openly staring at me; the expression on his face too cool and concealed to translate except for his eyes, that I could just make out through the blur that was my vision, had been covered with glasses.

…His eyes were calculating and intelligent.

They were focused on me as I stood up to run to the bathroom shouting something like 'headache' to the teacher who appeared too confused at my hasty exit to actually question me.

When I entered the bathroom I locked the door like Kurosaki once did.

Then I threw up.

And felt no better than before. The only good thing about this was that I didn't have a headache anymore.

When third period ended I trudged up the stairs towards forth, trailed by a faithful Sado who after my unusual escape from class had followed me and waited a full 15 minutes until I'd left the bathroom when I'd looked marginally better.

He was just as considerate in nature as Kurosaki was; both covered with layers of misunderstood teenage growth, of hard shells.

We made it to the classroom; I was more than happy to be away from the prying eyes of the glasses wearing guy (frankly that was the only thing I could remember about his appearance).

I graced Orihime with my presence.

Hah, right.

The girl was daydreaming again and had a book in her hand titled 'Encyclopdia of the stars'. _Another_ book devoted to the life of comedians.

Her mouth was open and she was gazing into space.

I waved a tentative hand over her eyes and got nothing. The girl sighed. I scratched my head in an effort to think today; I even turned to Sado who looked put on the spot and completely unknowing of how to handle Orihime. Fortunately we were both saved.

"Hey, stop that!" Orihime's eyes snapped quickly to attention as Tatsuki came into view. "Don't waste your youth daydreaming!"

"Morning Tatsuki." I said as I watched Orihime duck behind her book.

The kick ass teen looked at me and blinked. "Whoa, Mai, what the hell happened to you?" That's when Orihime finally noticed me and let out a little gasp.

I grimaced as I fidgeted with my bag strap. "Is it that bad?"

"Hell _yeah_ it's that bad!" She clonked me on the head and I didn't even wince. "Why did you come to school today you idiot?"

I shrugged. "It wasn't that bad this morning… I'm okay." I said indifferent to my own health and Tatsuki looked like she wanted to go another round.

I chanced half a glance at Sado who looked like he was wondering pretty much the same thing. Then I looked at the princess, my nickname for Orihime, trust me it's in an affectionate way: think about it she's beautiful, stacked (as Pei would put it), smarter than the majority of the class and as pure as the driven snow. Plus now she looked all concerned at my pasty face and darkened eyes. They weren't such that I looked like I hadn't slept; it was as if I'd put dark eyeliner on.

And I never wore makeup.

I didn't like the attention so I changed the subject.

"So Tatsuki, have you seen Kurosaki?"

She gave me a look that said she knew how slick I could be as she chewed on her tongue and I grinned at her like an idiot. She sighed.

"Haven't seen him."

Then she smirked mischievously at Orihime. "Weren't you thinking about him just now?"

I blinked. Wait, what?

The Princess blushed and started stuttering. "Um… n-no!"

Tatsuki shook her head and I tapped her on the shoulder. She looked at me then up at the huge orange question mark (not a word about the orange) above my head.

She scratched her head and gave a half smile that still reeked of her impish side.

"She digs him." She said simply. "Not that I know why." She continued with a bemused shrug.

I held back on this one; Tatsuki had been as equally as bummed as Orihime was dreamy when she realised Kurosaki wasn't going to join her club.

I felt a bump on my hip and looked around to see Mizuiro. He had the habit of bumping hips with me whenever he saw me for two reasons. One because I'd done it first and it had been completely by accident but he seemed to take it as a friendly gesture; one that he enjoyed. The second reason was more understandable; it upset Keigo who saw any display of physical affection not performed on him as an act wasted… especially when it concerned friends he laid a fanciful claim to. He didn't like me that way, or at least I think he didn't but he'd been quite taken with me on a friendly level since I'd first been introduced to the lovable yet irritating monkey.

And Mizuiro stole any chance that was thrown his way as a chance to aggravate his friend. Their relationship was an odd one… at times more like master and servant.

"Hi." I said simply.

For one single moment he glanced at me and I waited for the inevitable question of why I looked like crap.

It never came. Instead he started undoing his bag. "Ichigo might be absent today guys."

Tatsuki started. "What do you mean Mizuiro? Don't you two usually walk together?"

He pulled out some sort of energy drink out of his bag and gave it to me without a word and I blinked at the bottle. I gave it a quick one over and figured that it might actually help.

"Thank you… are you sure you don't need this?" I asked quietly.

He just rolled his eyes at me and told Tatsuki that when he went to go see Kurosaki this morning there was a huge hole in the side of his house. Then he said that-

Hold it! WHAT?

"A truck ploughed into his house in the middle of the night." Mizuiro explained as he moved to sit down.

This couldn't be some kind of weak coincidence…

Tatsuki jumped out of her seat. "So you mean he could be hurt or oh!" She gasped dramatically. "He could be dead-!"

A bag bashed into the side of her head and I saw Kurosaki standing behind it looking at Tatsuki with an expression of annoyance.

"We all survived. So _sorry_ to disappoint you."

His eyes flickered over to me and he paused. Orihime who had been pushing herself through her embarrassment to actually open her mouth to say hello stopped to look at the expression of perturbed concern on his face. Something was working through his mind and I had a feeling that it related to last nights events.

"Are you okay?" He asked.

I nodded and tried to ignore the confusion of laced energy coming from him. Oh yeah something had definitely transpired last night. It was darker, with a more sinister texture.

"Are _you_ alright?" I asked back and he frowned at me.

"She's talking about the hole in your house Ichigo." Mizuiro explained to him.

Kurosaki looked at my raised eyebrow and closed his eyes as he walked to his chair. "I'm fine. I was just fixing it up with my dad."

I went over to my seat, felt a small tug at my side and looked down just in time to catch Kurosaki's fingers slipping out of my pocket. Unnoticed by the rest of the class I was herded to my seat by Tatsuki; one up and two to the right of Kurosaki's.

He didn't look back to explain whatever that was and continued talking to Mizuiro and Sado who were soon joined by an obnoxiously amorous Keigo; apparently we were gaining a new student today.

I sat down and put my hand in to check my pocket finding a note.

I opened it, making sure to not be seen this time by girls with way to much time on their minds and hands.

**You won't believe what happened to me last night.**

**What happened to **_**you**_**?**

He sure wrote fast.

I was about to put pen to paper when…

"AH, IT'S _YOU_!"

He yelped and I swerved round to see him point at who I assumed was the new girl. She was giving him an eerily happy smile and his wide eyed expression screamed recognition.

"Ichigo, do you know her?" Keigo asked already jealous.

She was small in height.

"She just started school yesterday. It's an unusual time to transfer but her family had to move." Mizuiro explained to a profusely sweating Kurosaki.

Her hair was almost shoulder length and black.

Kurosaki started to stutter as if panicked all the while pointing at the new girl. "Why… are… you…"

_Raven_ black.

The girl's smile grew even more cheery if that were possible. "Hi, I'm Rukia Kuchiki; it's a pleasure to meet you!"

_I'm a #### ######..._

…_not who I say I am._

That's what I heard, like a whisper in my mind in a voice not my own.

She offered her hand to Kurosaki and whatever he saw there made him blanch.

…And I knew, somehow that she wasn't human.

I knew Kurosaki wouldn't send an explanation my way, not now and I also knew that things were about to change.

…Because she was the girl I saw in my dream last night.


	4. End of SoCalled Normalcy Part 3

Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach... obviously. It wouldn't be pretty if I did.

**So hey, I got some reviews. Here's a shoutout:**

**doctoremrys22: Thanks! I really wanted to produce a character who had real feelings, who reacted just the way we all do really. As for what's currently happening to her... it's completely integral to the story. It will come in bits and pieces.**

**Oiten: Your review made me smile. I felt warm. Seriously, it's gratifying to know that you're not as crap of a writer as you think you are. Anyway, Mai has a backstory... it's huge, but so is Ichigo's etc. She's a main character but so are all the others. The whole note taking thing between Ichigo and Mai is something I used to do in school... I'd get in trouble for it too. I wanted to make it somewhat more personal. There's a reason for this too... won't tell.**

**My DEGREE EXAMS ARE FINALLY FINISHED. AU REVOIR! Freedom is bliss... until your realise you've got nothing to do once you're done.**

**Also in case you're all wondering the normal events and timeline of the Bleach story will eventually become more and more non-existant. Much will change, some will stay the same. There will be some scenes in there that I just love and couldn't throw away; if you're a fan you'll recognise them.**

**Oh one last thing. I promise to check for spelling errors but some of the words in my fanfic were, mysteriously, replaced with an exclamation mark... I have no idea why. Will investigate. Adios!**

Chapter 3:

**End of (So-Called) Normalcy Part 3:**

**The Price We Pay…**

**Ichigo**

_She _actually_ told me not to tell anyone._

The insane soul reaper just appeared in his class, demanded his absolute silence in the form of a supposedly very painful (he'd seen her with a sword, he didn't doubt that) death and made him follow her outside…

…Where she said he would now have to do the job of a soul reaper in her stead.

…Because she'd lost her powers…

…And had given them to him.

…Which meant that he now had soul reaper powers…

_Shinigami_ powers…

This wasn't like some slapstick superhero character, this was death personified.

He was a death god.

It wasn't exactly a sunny career.

And she hadn't given him a frigging choice.

He wasn't so altruistic that he'd lay his own life on the line to protect strangers. But then she'd forced him out of his own body by use of a _glove_ (she _had_ to explain that one later) and taken him to a park with directions taken from a phone that transmitted data on Hollow's and their estimated time of arrival (just thinking about them make him shiver) and made him watch as the ghost of a kid almost got eaten by a monster.

So of course he'd ignored her and saved him anyway.

He didn't _have_ to enjoy the job nor could he promise that he'd be brave enough to never run away but he could promise to help her since it was his fault she'd given him her powers in the first place.

Hopefully she'd get them back quickly so he could return to his so-called normal life.

But the _real_ problem wasn't his new responsibilities.

It was now the fact that in some way he'd have to close himself off from Mai; a person to whom he'd only just managed to persuade to open up and give him the time of day.

He' been _this_ close to telling her what had actually happened the previous night when Rukia had arrived. Rukia had said to keep this whole ordeal a secret. The less people who knew, the less there was to clean up.

But he still didn't like it, not when all he wanted to do was sit in class with his friends.

…Especially since Mai had arrived at school today looking as bad as he'd felt last night. Her eyes had looked amazingly clear.

This also didn't help.

When he'd returned with Rukia to his body (which she oh so helpfully left lying in the middle of the school yard) they found a male teacher performing CPR a little too vigorously on him.

Apparently Mai had found his body…

…Which only confirmed that she had been looking for him, probably in response to his note?

When he'd entered back into his body with the disgusting view of a teacher's pair of lips in front of his face he saw her behind him, her eyes wide and apprehensive, defined nicely by the darkness surrounding them he could see a multitude of what he assumed were pale greens surrounding a gold ringed pupil all focused heavily on him.

She was far from stupid.

And yet when he'd stuttered out what he could only describe as the lamest excuse on the planet for why he was lying face down on the ground outside she'd tilted her head and had given him a searching look. Dissecting and completely destroying the lie.

…But then she just smiled softly at him bringing him to a halt.

...And make him almost blab it all to her anyway. But after what he'd seen he didn't want a new friend wandering around him (she was the curious kind; she'd _definitely_ follow him) as he was being chased by hollows.

It was safer this way.

Plus he promised himself that the very second Rukia got her powers back he'd tell Mai everything. That was the beauty of having a friend like her; someone who could and would understand.

But it still didn't tell him why, for the love of god, was she looking as though _she'd_ almost been eaten by a hollow?

And it looked like he wouldn't receive an answer any time soon.

Luckily however whatever was wrong with her cleared up by the next day…

…And Ichigo Kurosaki had a lot to deal with anyway.

Hollow duty was an all night job after all and Rukia's supposed training was just… stupid.

A hint: in involved a cricket bat and a ball machine.

* * *

**Mai**

It wasn't very discernable. His act was almost perfect as was Rukia Kuchiki's. Whatever they were up to, the two of them hid it well.

I've always been nosey but I felt drawn to the new activity anyway.

Every time Kurosaki came back from whatever he and Kuchiki were up to they _smelled_ different.

And his aura had changed.

It felt covered; the powerful brightness dispelled and hidden in pretence of controlled force.

But I let it be.

He didn't tell me what was up and I didn't tell him that I'd seen a dark creature; that I'd had strange dreams since Kuchiki showed up. In fact I tried my very hardest to stay as far away from the bickering idiots as I could. And they _did_ bicker.

Whilst eating my lunch I occasionally saw them talking. They were easy to notice what with her height: very, er…_short_… raven black hair and big, dark, blue eyes. They seemed to be predisposed to argue a lot with one another. About _anything_. It was like they couldn't agree on a single choice but that might have been about lack of familiarity more than anything else.

It was true that I felt marginally annoyed to be so left in the dark after he'd told me that he wanted to be my friend, a friendship based on trust and unusual circumstances.

He had kind of… reneged on that deal. Not like we'd shaken on it or anything though.

And it wasn't as if he didn't know it.

…Because he didn't stop with the stupid antics that he'd previously circum to before. For example, he started the whole staring thing again once I didn't explain to him why I looked like death itself. And when I stopped talking to him he'd do any and all to irritate the crap out of me.

Then, following his strange pattern, when I'd get worked up enough at him to elicit a response he'd look at me as if confused and say, "What did I do?"

I really didn't understand him at all.

I'd made it easy for him to back away; he didn't need to do this. I'd even smiled at him as he attempted and failed to produce mediocre lies and tried to tell him I understood that sometimes lies are necessary no matter how poorly they are delivered.

And he had to pay the price for lies.

Just like I still do.

I may have been looking better but feeling better? Not a chance.

I felt like Frankenstein's monster after a hard night on the Liquor.

My insides were relentlessly unsatisfied.

I couldn't exactly see a doctor either; what would I say? Oh hello Dr, No-Face I saw a humanoid creature the other night and straight afterwards I collapsed. Also I see dead people and as such haven't had a decent night's sleep in a while. Is there any medication you can prescribe for such a diagnoses? Oh and make it quick; my body's about to collapse again under the strain of seizure number 4.

I can see the men in white coats already coming to carry me away.

…

Anyway past that, currently I was sitting absorbed in my history class. We were covering the cultural connections between historical dates and events, precursors and fables.

Today's lesson: Oni.

"The shift between how we see the mythical demon now and how human's perceived them a thousand years ago is pretty staggering. Now the hideous gargoyle, the creature hiding under a child's bed, the monster of darkness, the one to whom the key's of the gate of Rashomon have been placed are all stigmas of an evil nature. They are subject to baleful acknowledgement and are solely used to describe the seedier more threatening parts of the human psyche."

The teacher paused for breath and took a look at his class; brow twitching when he realised only half were listening anyway. I was there; nerd personified, poised in my note taking.

There Kurosaki was looking at me as I if were insane.

His frowning face flashed between honest curiosity for what the hell I saw that was so intriguing in the lesson and incredulity at the copious amount of notes I'd already written compared to his single paragraph.

What could I say; I loved legends.

The fact that he was making me uncomfortable with my used to be comfortable position at being vigilant in my classes seemed to pass him. He couldn't go a single lesson without drawing attention towards me.

At these times Rukia Kuchiki would observe the two of us like the tiniest class spectre I'd ever seen and seemed quite absorbed with something so trivial and monotonous. Sometimes though I'd catch her reading books; manga mostly, like an obsession. Then I'd catch Kurosaki glancing at them with distaste and foreboding. Yet again another unexplainable habit.

The teacher continued to drone on, diligently ignoring how Keigo was already falling out of his chair, how Mizuiro was texting, how Orihime was gazing out of the window, how Chizuru was watching her, how Tatsuki was threatening _her_, how Sado was watching the class interact instead of listening to the teacher and how Uryu Ishida was already reading a book titled: the history of myth and legend, Japan.

I was probably one of the few who enjoyed the lesson.

It didn't say much about me did it?

Oh yes. Uryu Ishida: the boy who'd looked at me with confused menace.

It didn't take long for me to recall his name and even less time for me to wonder what his problem was.

"…Once a ruling race of supposed protectors who held sacred vows to defend us humans from other supernatural creatures or from ourselves. When the shift occurred the great demon exterminator, the Shoki, the great exorcist, the noble priest, the warrior who defended several of our great emperors from harm appeared. Many books have entitled this person as ageless."

The teacher took another breath. "Ornamental figurines of such creatures where employed above house doors to ward to evil. Now however it would be an indication to sin. We'll continue this next week. Class dismissed."

_**BBBBRRRRIIIIIIIINNNNNNGGGGGGG!**_

As the bell rang the students all started to yell happily at yet another end to a school day.

I made to pack my things away and heard Keigo exclaim. Should I listen? Yes I should. Be a normal teen Mai.

Of course I really should have checked to see the topic of conversation first before stopping.

"I-Ichigo's got a _girls_ number on his mobile! WHAT THE HELL MAN!"

Huh?

I watched Kurosaki whirl around from across the room, glance at Keigo before furiously checking his pockets for his phone in the vain hope that Keigo didn't have it in his fingers.

…And unfortunately failed.

He looked back up at his friend with self-conscious, aggravation filled eyes. "Keigo! Give that back _right now_!"

Kurosaki was… blushing?

He really _did_ have a girl's number on his mobile?

Keigo wouldn't shut up as he stared down at the phone as though it were the most unbelievable concept in the world. His eyes were comically wide and he was rapidly punching buttons.

"It isn't under the friendship section… wait, ICHIGO HAS A _FRIENDSHIP_ SECTION?"

"KEIGO!"

Incensed, Kurosaki practically sprinted and jumped over several desks in the effort to get to him as Keigo fumbled through his address book.

"IT'S UNDER THE SECTION FOR… PERSONAL NUMBERS! _SPEED-DIAL_!"

"KNOCK IT OFF!"

He rammed into Keigo's stomach, both of them falling over the side of a desk. Some of the class girls squealed and several more outside the room stopped to peer inside and point at Kurosaki as he straddled Keigo and wrenched his phone out of the now crying guy's grasp. Most of them swooned and blushed like crazy as they snapped homographic pictures and I watched from the side too stunned to say a word.

Keigo pointed up at Kurosaki and wailed as if betrayed.

"YOU'VE GOT A _GIRL'S_ NUMBER ON YOUR PHONE!"

Kurosaki whammed a fist into Keigo's abdomen and pointed back at him. "AND _YOU'RE_ A REALLY BIG PERVE _KEIGO ASANO_!"

Not bad Kurosaki.

And suddenly there was a Mexican wave.

"Did you hear? _Keigo Asano's_ a _really_ big pervert." A girl said from the side.

A dude joined in. "Keigo Asano?"

"He's a _perv_? Really?" A pretty girl from the class above pointed out.

"_Kurosaki_ said he was."

Keigo's hand shot out at them. "No wait!" He shouted panicked and everyone backed away from the deprave.

He twitched. Then the tears just wouldn't stop.

"Why Ichigo? _Whyyyyyyyyyy_!"

"Shut up." Kurosaki said, exasperated with him and walked off towards his book bag.

As he walked by me he glanced in my direction with an indescribable expression and then I knew.

It was _my_ number.

Well if he wanted to show me that my friendship was worth something… he just did.

And a smile blossomed out of me that made my own breath catch, because in all my teenage years no one, no girl or guy had ever done something so chummy for me.

…then he tripped.

Ichigo Kurosaki _tripped_ _himself up_.

For a moment everyone stared silently.

He got up, brushed himself off and, without glancing in my direction again, walked as dignified as possible out of the classroom.

Mizuiro looked at me as Keigo blinked, still on the floor. "Erm, what was that about?"

* * *

Something was wrong with Orihime.

Something _had_ been wrong with her for a full week what with getting injured _all_ the time, not that _that_ was anything new. And how her injuries reeked of fowl energy, not if there was someone more accident prone I would probably never meet him/ her.

And then I realised that she'd been followed by the ghost of her brother.

The next day at school… Kurosaki reeked of Sora Inoue. Her brother.

I was getting really good at remembering these names that I come across only _once_.

And suddenly she was all better, sprouting stories about how there was a huge hole in her wall and by hole I mean the whole left wall was gone. Obliterated. She said something to me about sumo wrestlers with bazookas wrecking up her living room. That girl's mind works in mysterious ways I don't want to know about.

Except the fact that it was all completely true of course. I went to go visit her and found the entirety of her left wall gone. She was staying at a hotel for the time being.

After the incident however her stares at Kurosaki only increased and he became even more nonchalant. He was making it into a talent.

That very day; the day Orihime told me about her accident I saw something puzzling on the morning news.

A small wave of gruesome attacks had occurred in various areas in and around Karakura.

And it didn't help the tide of nerves that sprouted in me every time I heard of them.

I kept seeing people in town; their faces were meaningless. It was their eyes that drew my attention.

They weren't human eyes. Other …and devoid. They were gone within moments and so I would think they were appearing right out of my dreams.

Also… I kept feeling that I was being followed.

* * *

That same day I decided to accompany Mizuiro and actually go see Kurosaki for once instead of dodging him.

I… felt connected somewhat to the guy and I didn't want the sensation to leave quite yet, not when it was all so new.

Friendship was interesting but it was so difficult to maintain.

Up on the roof, the usual haunt for the guys I approached Kurosaki and Kuchiki with some hesitance as I stood behind Mizuiro who looked back at me with amused perplexity.

Then Mizuiro said something that made me gawk.

"Together again? You must be in love or something." He pointed at the two oddities with his lunch in his hands.

My mouth dropped open while Kurosaki didn't look even remotely phased.

His scowl didn't even worsen. "Moron. Does _this_ look like love to you?" He pointed at Kuchiki with a lazy eyebrow raise.

I nodded to myself and said as blandly as possible. "Sorry Casanova. Not all of us work like you do." Mizuiro had the good sense to look slightly abashed if not impudent.

"…Mai?"

Kurosaki looked at me. The surprise in his eyes was not unexpected; I'd been unable to think of the right thing to say for the past four, five days after he so obviously wanted to keep himself to himself.

So I smiled timidly at him. "Hey."

He nodded a little absent mindedly. I fidgeted for a moment, uncomfortable and he frowned.

"Mai?"

"Hm?"

"Get over here."

I blinked looking at his finger pointing to the seat next to him. Kuchiki next to that very space on the other side looked like she was having trouble with her juice; she was even sweating. The liquid clearly meant a _great_ deal to her. So while Mizuiro asked Kurosaki something I shuffled to where he'd pointed and slowly, gently, took Kuchiki's juice from her fingers.

She looked at me puzzled and I almost smiled.

Straight away I knew I'd like her. An even mixture of secrets, sass, and… insecurity.

"You looked like you needed a hand." I offered.

"Oh… thank you!" She said with a smile too sweet to be real for her.

Mmmm…

It took me a moment to place why it bothered me before I shook my head. I opened the straw with exaggerated movements allowing her eyes to follow me curiously… as if she'd never opened one before.

"You don't need to do that you know."

Kuchiki's eyes flickered at me. "Do what?"

"Fake your smile."

I passed her the juice and she took it. She didn't taste it. She just looked at me.

I saved myself. "I have a feeling that your real smile is somewhat more devious." I laughed at myself but she didn't even twitch, I'd been a little too slow.

Turning to Kurosaki to try and shake my blunder I found him already listening as he drank from his own juice. His expression was unreadable.

Then, after a last gulp he let out a slow breath. "So… are you talking to me again?"

Even Kuchiki glanced towards us at this.

I frowned at him, confused as always by his contradictory personality. "Actually… I was sort of sure _you_ were, um… avoiding _me_… somewhat…" Cue another awkward moment of screwed up vernacular.

He looked at me for a moment before sighing and scratching his neck.

"Hi Rukia!"

The girl jumped to attention as Mizuiro looked sweetly in her direction. Already my eyes were rolling and I nudged Kurosaki whose shoulders uncoiled slightly. I hadn't even known they'd been tense. My friendliness relaxed him and that only added to the unusualness of the movement.

"Um… you're Mizuiro right?" She looked so pleased with herself.

"That's right! I'm Mizuiro Kojima. I really like-"

"…Picking up chicks." Kurosaki interrupted, dead pan.

I spat my drink all over the floor in front of me.

He raised an eyebrow at me side on. "Smooth." He said in a patronising tone. I used his trick and scowled at him. Again he ignored me. "Watch out Rukia, he may look like a kid but he's a real layer, trust me."

Mizuiro jumped up. "C'mon Ichigo that's not cool! You know I only go after older women!"

"Like I said Rukia watch this one."

I almost laughed again at first, she looked so small and her pupils looked like pinpricks as she stared at him, clueless. Humans are such daft creatures I suppose.

I looked at the girl to my left. "Why, how old are you?"

She paused in her attempt to sip her drink. A thoughtful frown drifted over her features as she stared into space, pondering so hard that I started to frown and Kurosaki's forehead began to twitch.

"I'm your age-"

"She's _our_ age." Kurosaki responded quickly after a too long stretch of time.

He didn't say what any other student would. He'd said that she was _our_ age. _She_ said that she was _my_ age.

The look in his brown eyes… it was almost daring. As if he was trying to push me into something.

I raised my eyebrows at him and the corner of his mouth tugged up.

Then the sound of a straw sucking up juice disturbed my thought pattern and I looked back at Kuchiki. "Good?" I asked as she sighed with contentment.

"Good." She confirmed; a genuine expression of pleasure on her features.

I held out a hand. "I'm Mai Li."

She looked at my fingers as she mechanically linked our hands; it was as if civilised manners were downloaded in her cerebral cortex.

"Rukia Kuch…" She drifted off and her eyes flickered back at our hands.

They clouded over, darkening the swirling tide held at bay there and a tight frown sowed itself across her forehead.

I felt a mass of _something_ grow between our hands… _I_ didn't feel threatened.

…But she did.

"What is it?" I asked quietly and I felt her jolt as if I'd shouted.

Immediately she released my hand. I didn't miss the way her eyes focused warily or how her fingers flexed by her side. "…It's nothing."

And for some reason I verbalised my thoughts. "I didn't shock you did I?"

Not hurt, shock; as in surprise, not energy discharge.

Did I disturb her? In the same way I seemed to disturb so many people, so many ghosts.

Her gaze was intimidating. For a moment her mask slipped and I saw the face of a hundred years, of a thousand different emotions all attempting to dissect my whole being. She could be from any period: a 15 or 22 year old, she'd fit any profile she set herself for.

Who was this girl… woman?

Slowly she shook her head as she examined me. Then she blinked at something behind me. I turned…

Kurosaki was observing us rather than listening to Keigo… wait, Keigo! When did _he_ arrive?

And why was Kurosaki spying on our conversation.

He shrugged and my eyes narrowed. He was sniffing for information on me, since I wouldn't willingly give him any.

_Really though_, I thought as I watched him, his expression returning to nonchalance as he watched Keigo… he's actually more playful than he lets on.

…Well he did chase me through school that one time.

Then again he also looked cautious. More than once he and Kuchiki had exchanged a look that could only be described as such while we'd talked. What was the big secret?

"Lunch party! Right here, right now!"

And I was snapped back to reality once more. Keigo was there hoping around like an idiot as Mizuiro watched him go with an expression somewhat akin to pity.

"Yeah, a juice, milk, yakisoba and bread party." He said straight faced.

Keigo rounded on him, his _manly_ tears of a masculine nature flying everywhere. "Shut up! It's the feeling that counts!"

And then I felt another presence on the roof. I know; way to sound like a star wars reject but it's hard to totally ignore a face like Oshima Reiji's.

"Oh crap-a-doodle…" I whispered and Kurosaki peered in the direction I was staring… and returned to his food looking once again like he really didn't give two shades of…

A knee whammed into Keigo's back.

"OOF, ow man, what the f-fu…"

He turned only to tremble as Oshima's less than pristine form loomed over him. His hair was as dreadful as ever and I could smell bad aftershave dispersing across the rooftop.

"Kurosaki."

God man, give it up. He paced your backside back into last week the last time you tried to rumble with him.

I raised my head. "You're off suspension already Chicken Head?" Why hadn't _we_ been told?

Keigo turned to me as if I'd run away with the fairies. I wasn't afraid of this guy, he was easy to beat. Even if he had a friend with him, that just proved he couldn't do jack by himself.

Kurosaki snorted into his sandwich and that more or less made the snide worth it.

"…You talking to me?" Chicken Head grumbled with narrowed eyes. I could tell his partner was staring at his hair and thinking the exact same thing I was.

I nodded, happy that he'd caught on so quickly.

He tilted his head at me before looking at Kurosaki who was so uninterested he looked like micro organisms might give him more entertainment. "Who's the bitch?"

Kuchiki choked as I raised a delicate eyebrow.

"Excuse me?" I asked in a dangerously silky tone as I saw Kurosaki tense in my peripheral vision.

"…What did you say?" He said quietly, lethally.

Then Oshima blinked in recognition. "Oh wait a sec… You're that cow from the entrance exam!"

Wow, upgraded from bitch to cow.

I wondered vaguely if the reason his lisp had gone was because of a tongue piercing.

I sighed and let go of my anger. 'Bitch' was no way to refer to a lady.

I squared a glance at an increasingly hostile Kurosaki. "He's offensive and he's getting on my nerves. Plus he's here for you so…"

Kurosaki frowned at me, deterred from his eventual venting. "…What?"

I shrugged. "Get rid of him."

It seemed like a simple enough suggestion to me.

"WHA…!"

"Come on, it's a fair request."

Oshima may have finally realised he was being ignored.

"It's _stupid_!" Kurosaki yelled in my face.

"How is everything _I_ say suddenly _always_ labelled as stupid?"

"Well… why don't _you_ get rid of him?"

The vein in Oshima's neck started to twitch. "…Hey!"

I ignored him. "_You're_ the idiot! I was giving you a chance to be all heroic! Way to blow it!"

"I didn't blow anything!" Kurosaki yelled.

Huffing and crossing my arms, feeling silly as though I really shouldn't have said a word I tried to drop it. "It doesn't matter! Just forget I said the _stupid_ thing already!"

But it seemed that I'd pushed him a little too far this time.

"You want me to do it huh?" He asked at me, practically a growl.

I blinked feeling perplexed, defiant and apprehensive when I saw his eyes stare down at me too pissed off to see reason. "_What_?"

"You want me to get rid of him _that_ badly?"

I lifted my hands up an effort to placate the inevitable bomb. "Look! I didn't say…"

He finally exploded and his eyes lit up with demonic anger; his forehead throbbing from about 100 different angles.

"FINE! I'LL DO IT! I'LL GET RID OF HIM!" He stood up quickly and headed over to Oshima with aggressive strides.

Oshima smiled stupidly and reached a hand into his blazer. "Today's the day I finally get to set you straight dingle berry!" He pulled out brass knuckles and shoved his fingers into them. "Let's see whose thtronger!"

…Thtronger? Seriously…? I think it safe to say the lisp hadn't gone completely.

Mizuiro sweatdropped while Kuchiki just observed the whole thing as if she was doing a student study of the interactions between nonsensical class mates. Most girls would look scared or, I don't know, anything else but not this one.

And yes, I was just referring to myself… _and_ Kurosaki. I caused this because I forgot that sometimes I'm simply too literal.

"WAIT A SECOND!" I shouted in a last ditch attempt to gain Kurosaki's attention back.

It didn't work and I apprehensively watched the manic smile that spread over his features. _Oh dear…_

"WELL OSHIMA… _MAI LI_ COMMANDS YOU'RE REMOVAL!" he shouted condescendingly.

Ass…

"DON'T BE SUCH A JERK!" Yeah, tell him Mai! I mean, tell him me!

He twisted back at me. "YOU STARTED THIS!"

Oshima was getting impatient again. He brought his brass knuckle coated fist in the air as he took aim. "Kurosaki-"

"SHUT UP DRAG QUEEN!" Kurosaki shot in his face as he moved with the speed of an experienced fighter.

He tugged Oshima's knuckle dusters away with a swipe of his hand and twisted them in his grasp making it easier to slam them into his abdomen. Oshima's eyes bulged as he sagged.

Kurosaki looked down at the bully more irate than I'd ever thought I'd see him. "AND STOP WITH GETTING ON AT ME ABOUT MY _VERY_ NATURAL ORANGE HAIR YOU FREAK!"

…And he judo throw-ed the loser across the roof, hitting the ground after a moment and skidding the rest of the way.

"OWOWOWOWOWOWOW… OUCH!"

"Oshima!" His gang member friend whipped after him with a girlish shout.

Hmmm… This was vaguely reminiscent of what he did to that skater gang almost a week ago. Tranquillity described the surrounding noise perfectly at least for that one moment.

Then Kurosaki turned his head, so very slowly, to look at me with narrowed eyes. His anger seemed to drain from him; in fact he looked kind of exhausted.

I tried to make myself look as small as possible against the railings as he walked quietly back, Kuchiki was observing with a raised eyebrow and Keigo seemed to have fallen into dysfunction; his mouth kept opening and closing as if he weren't sure what to do or say.

Mechanically Kurosaki stopped in front of me, then sat; snatching the remainder of his lunch that I had saved from my grasp, dropping down on his butt beside me and tearing into his sandwich all while glaring resignedly into space from the side.

Okie dokie…

Passing a weak smile in contrition towards Kuchiki she returned it with a big one of her own as if the whole thing was a play, like an automatic reflex reaction to mine.

It wasn't long before I spotted Sado across the roof. From the perplexed expression on his face he'd watched the whole thing.

I deflated and waved at him as he came over.

He sat and immediately we all saw the bandages covering his wrist.

Kurosaki snapped out of his funk and I released a relieved breath. "Hey Chad, how did you hurt your hand?"

Apparently an I-Beam fell on him… then he hurt his hand during grocery shopping… he'd ran into a motorcycle… but it was the driver who suffered more than he incidentally and Sado had carried him to the hospital on his already injured back…

"Geez, you must be made of steel… like a tank." Kurosaki offered with a sweatdrop.

It wasn't until he introduced his cockatiel that the atmosphere turned tense for three of us.

Never mind that Sado had an unusual like for all things cute…

…His bird had two souls within its tiny body. I could see that immediately, and from the aura alone (even if I still had a few problems in that arena recently) the other soul, the one that didn't belong there was human.

…Which explained the bird's proficient use of Japanese and English vocabulary.

It sounded like a young boy… trapped in a bird…

One for sorrow…

But the thing that got me was that both Kurosaki and Kuchiki tensed along with me.

Sitting in-between them I could see that they wanted to do or say something that they couldn't or wouldn't do in front of me.

I briefly closed my eyes and moved to get up. The terrible duo obviously had business to discuss… they were both staring uneasily at the bird… Hmmm… suspicious behaviour; a penalty for secret keeping.

I bent to reach my bag.

"You're leaving already?" Kurosaki asked surprising me.

I nodded and gestured towards the bird. "A lonely soul right?"

He frowned. "What do you mean?"

His frown made me frown. Couldn't he see it? He wouldn't have to say anything about it if he didn't want to but a nod of the head would have been nice.

"The bird." I specified. No reaction yet I knew he'd seen it.

So I smiled at the two of them, their expressions nonplussed. "Did you know that in folklore, lonely or abandoned spirits, especially children would sometimes inhabit live animals?"

Kurosaki just looked at me with a tilt of is head. He knew I could see ghosts but for some reason he looked kind of taken back at the idea that I could sense one soul beneath another.

But Kuchiki… her expression was carefully blanked.

"See you." I said and Kurosaki nodded at me.

I saw them bend their heads together to mutter the moment I was out of hearing range and wondered for the tenth time what the deal was with the two of them?

On the floor beneath the roof I passed a tall, glasses wearing stranger who was gazing solemnly out of the window.

"Uryu Ishida?"

I'd stood behind him so it only made sense that his surprise at being snuck upon was evident in his expression.

He blinked before he got his emotions under control.

"Li san."

_Li san? How proper… well, to each his own._

"You could have joined us up there you know?" I pointed upwards towards the roof.

Again I'd surprised him; his eyes widened and he seemed to blunder through his thoughts a little before answering again with that same cold composure that really was only skin deep. A shield.

"…I'd rather pass. I prefer to eat alone."

I nodded, understanding completely. "I use to feel the same before coming here." Until I made friends…

He inclined his head towards me politely and I got the feeling he was already terminating the incredibly tiny conversation. He moved to walk by me towards the stairs.

"…Why do you dislike him so much Uryu?" I spoke softly, quietly.

The use of his first name came quite easily to me… more so then the idea of using Kurosaki's first name. Saying 'Uryu' felt like a handshake. Saying 'Ichigo' felt like a plummet off of a steep cliff into residing waters.

He stopped and stiffened behind me.

I turned to glance at him side on finding him doing the same, piercing me with sharp blue eyes.

"Really, what did he do to you to inspire such contempt?" It was in his every move, in his aura. Perfectly controlled, it hummed and seethed every time I'd found him focusing on my orange haired friend.

For a whole minute he just stared at me. Then he raised a finger to push his glasses up the bridge of his nose.

"With all due respect… I don't see how it is any of your business."

Sheepishly, I scratched the back of my neck. "Yeah, I suppose you're right. Sorry about that Uryu… Jesus, Kurosaki's right, I really am a nosey one."

He looked at me. He seemed taken aback, as if he couldn't quite figure out what I was up to.

"I-it's alright." He shifted as he were about to say more but decided against it and made his way towards the stairs.

"See you tomorrow."

Blinking he glanced back at me as I waved genially at him before turning on my heal and walking in the opposite direction. Sometimes being just a little friendly reaps its own rewards.

Or at least that's what I figured as I thought about the bemused and bashful look on his face.

* * *

Message to Mai Li from unknown number:

**A lonely soul?**

Message to Unknown Number from Mai Li:

_The soul of a boy, I… thought you'd already sensed it. Sorry if I made a mistake._

**Why are you apologising?**

_You looked at me oddly when I said it earlier._

**Oh… didn't mean to. It's just… I was surprised you could sense it in there. I really shouldn't have been.**

_It's fine._

**Fine is what my sister's say when they're pissed or upset.**

…

**Thanks for coming up here today. I thought you'd stop speaking to me for good.**

_What with you constantly pushing my buttons in class it's not something I can avoid for long periods of time. Besides I'm pretty sure you're the one who backed off first._

**I didn't… it wasn't like I…**

_Kurosaki… I get it._

**Get what?**

_Some secrets can't be shared… and some have really bad timing._

**You got that right.**

_I'm not good at the whole friendship thing; in fact it's been too long since I can remember having a real friend. I didn't know what to do when you held back so unexpectedly after opening up so honestly…_

**I knocked you for a loop huh?**

_You could say that._

**My friendship is still on the table you know… always will be.**

_You don't have to say that._

**I don't say things I don't mean Mai**.

_So earlier when you said I was stupid… you meant you actually think I'm stupid?_

**Er… **

_Hah, you dug that hole yourself Kurosaki._

**Shut up stupid.**

_Ouch! … Was everything alright today? You and Kuchiki seemed tense when I left._

**Yeah. I had a long night and Rukia was bugging me about it.**

_Don't go thinking you can talk the boy in the bird into moving on just yet Kurosaki._

**Huh? That was abrupt.**

_I'm being serious. It's being hounded by something. To be honest I'm more concerned with Sado's involvement._

**Why?**

_Whatever is chasing the bird will be chasing him._

**Good point.**

_You're a smart one Kurosaki, you'd come to the same conclusion if you just thought about it for a moment._

**A compliment?**

_Thinly veiled but… also fact._

…**Thanks.**

_If you're with Kuchiki apologise to her okay?_

**Why?**

_I don't know how or why but I think I wigged her out at lunch._

**Er… alright. Will do.**

Unknown Message Sender changed: Ichigo Kurosaki… speed dial.

* * *

"Hey, Sado!" I shouted cheerily.

I saw the kind giant leave class almost two hours ago and head out without his friends. After so tenderly watching over the little bird all day I'd wondered if everything was alright; he'd taken to it a little too seriously.

Following him as far as Kasazaki I'd started to worry at the broken pathway he was taking. For some reason he'd stop and turn in the opposite direction to go the longest way around.

It was if he was trying to loose a tail…

…Please say it wasn't me. That would be _unbelievably_ sad.

So I figured I should just announce my presence if he already hadn't picked up on it.

And judging by how wide his eyes became he hadn't.

Oh yeah… I was good.

"Mai?" He muttered as he tucked the bird cage more securely under his arm affirming my previous observation nicely.

"Are you alright? You've been acting a little odd all day… can I help with something?"

He paused and shifted. "…No… I'll be fine."

Sure he would.

It made me wonder if he knew about the soul that had latched onto his precious cargo.

"What's so special about the bird Sado?" I asked gently.

He looked back at me surprised. "What do you mean?"

I ventured on. "Why are you protecting it so fiercely? Where's the danger?"

I'd read him a little too perfectly. "How did… you…"

I shook my head. "You shouldn't be doing this alone, let me help you."

Sado grasped the large cage in both his arms. "I'll be fine alone." He repeated and I almost slumped in wasted effort when the bird actually spoke too.

"We don't want you to be put in danger too. Mister won't leave me… he just wants to help me. Please don't be upset with him."

Whoa… I slowly looked up.

The boy inside the bird sounded so sweet and sad.

But I was unable to clarify that I wasn't actually upset with Sado, that I was just worried about the weird feeling in my chest…

…Because at that moment, just as Yuichi stopped talking a large white object bulldozed into Sado's back sending him hurtling into the evening traffic.

"SADO!" I screamed.

The white thing jumped onto the main road, attempting to further kick my already injured friend. Cars honked and squealed as machines crashed into an invisible object.

Sado was lost amidst the sea of chaos as three cars collided leaving a wreckage of broken windows and twisted metal. Screams of the passengers echoed into the din and I saw Sado crawl from amidst the debris.

"Over here!" I yelled.

He moved towards me at first; by his limp I'd say the huge white thing hurt his back when he kicked him. Well it wasn't really fair; the monster's foot had been about the size of well, me.

Then he tried to move in the opposite direction before falling over.

"Sado!" I ran towards him only to get buffeted by a great white arm.

I went rolling into some garbage bags at the end of a street closest to the road. I looked up and gaped. The creature was about ten feet tall; it had a skull impediment on its face… which may have actually been its face and its body was structured for large leaps and swipes. A long and pretty disgusting tongue lashed out of its mouth as the creature, monster, seemed to get excited by the surrounding destruction.

"_**Yuichi… kid, you make this too easy…"**_

It… could… talk…?

And far too late I recalled how creatures such as these terrorised my dreams on occasion. They… they went after people… adults, kids or something in order to survive; they fed off of the connection of love and loyalty that the dead have with the living.

Some of them were sadistic death players that liked to have fun with their pursuits.

Through a flash of intuition I realised that this monster was here for the small boy in the cockatiel… the kid with the sweet smile.

…Because it had killed him and his mother and had been hunting him ever since.

The boy was bait?

I flashed back to the day I found blood on the roundabout in the park. A white monster had taken him too perhaps. And I hadn't done a thing about it afterwards.

That thought stil aggravated me. I pushed myself up from the garbage.

"Mister! Mister, please get up!" The bird pleaded with Sado to rise but unfortunately Sado didn't look like he had much energy left in him.

The white monster thing seemed like he was distracted; as if he couldn't decide where he wanted to go or who he wanted to devour.

Sirens could be heard in the background.

"**You brought an unusual scent to the party this time- …w-WHAT THE HELL!"**

The trash tin lid and bucket torpedoed into the creatures face splattering bits of rubbish all over the place. Before it could recover (and shake off that annoying piece of lettuce hanging from the tops of its skull head thing) I rammed a foot into its rock hard head and it rolled away.

I was a teenage girl shaking with fear and yet I was actually thinking about luring it away from Sado.

"Sado, get up! You're about five minutes away from the Kurosaki clinic! Go!" I took a quick glance at his wide eyes and dumbfounded expression. His eyes couldn't seem to focus; it looked like he couldn't directly see what it was that was attacking him.

The Shrieker, a name that came out of nowhere but seemed to be quite the apt description of such a monster, moved to get up and I jumped into the air.

It looked up too late and I landed behind its skull head. I yanked back on it with both hands and, somehow, was able to throw a bulk five times my weight over its _own_ back and down a back street.

Unfortunately it got away with scraping a monster claw down my right shoulder blade. I managed to hold in the cry of pain but struggled badly with the whimper.

The pathetic sound seemed to rouse the white mass several metres in front of me.

"**Oh ho… that was sneaky of you girly…"**

Feeling a small amount of blood trickle down my back and into my pants I looked up at it through a curtain in my fallen fringe. I didn't have much of a plan past this… but I was certainly intrigued by whatever this creature of loathing really was. It sounded like the cockiest of mafia hitters.

"…**You smell… _different_…"**

I didn't like the pause between the words 'smell' and 'different'.

Stinging pain lanced through my shoulder as I spoke. "Good smell or bad smell? …Because you know, I need to know if I have to change my deodorant spray." Great Mai, just egg it on why don't you…

"**Hehehe… ballsy. I like that in my prey. It only makes for a greater exciting downfall later."**

Anger rise in accordance with my dread. "Why, so you can bask in their fear?"

The creature's head sifted sideways: I mean really, it turned to a 45 degree angle.

"**I was referring to you my dear. Your smell… is tempting. Too tempting for me to allow it to escape."**

I gulped. "I'm a 'she' not an 'it'."

"**You won't be an any-_thing_ soon!"**

I heard a clatter coming around me from all sides before I saw them. Little creatures about one foot long each that were less offensive and certainly less intelligent versions of itself. They perched on the surrounding fences, coiled and ready to spring.

This masked monster was a servant user kind.

I didn't know what the hell that meant but it didn't sound pleasant.

Anyway, moments later, before my muscles had even tensed to move several of the little suckers leaped into the air and latched themselves onto my back.

The buggers were kind of heavy for their size.

They immediately and forcefully gripped and pushed me down into the concrete.

The moment my front hit the floor a wave of tingling energy fluxed down my body as if the fall caused a pulse to gather. I blinked and wondered why in a dangerous situation my body chose now of all times to break down.

"**You're slow…** **and naive enough to think that I might not have friends." **It, _he_, _it_… whatever, goaded me while I was down. Coward.

Friends… heh.

I tried to wriggle out of position but the creatures had clawed grips that dug into the skin of my back.

The hollow stepped closer.** "I **_**was**_** going to go eat the other guy first, as an appetiser of course… but you smell far too enticing for your own good…"**

I snorted as the cells in my body wouldn't stop pulsing. The strain was becoming difficult to resist. I sent the Shrieker a dull glare. "You were some psychotic serial killer in life weren't you?"

I swear the thing grinned. **"How'd you guess?"**

Oh man.

Time to get up Mai.

With an almighty push upwards I used all my determination to somehow make the power oscillation shift to burst through my back.

To my supreme surprise and pleasure it worked.

"**What?"**

An… an aura surrounded me that hadn't existed seconds previously. There was a greenish tint to it and to have it so formed like that; protruding from my skin, outwards from my body… that was individual… even for me. It was a full blast of this that scattered the small servant like things off my back.

I vaulted up and it leaped towards me.

My body just… moved. I'd jumped and kneed the sucker with both knees and it roared. Like the cry I heard that night a week or so ago, that terrifying sound of lonely hollowness pending from Kurosaki's house.

My legs hurt but I felt great… must be an adrenaline thing.

As I landed I felt several small pats on my right side, neck and thigh.

I looked down. "Eww… leeches." I tried to pull them off but I bled worse when I tried.

The thing started laughing. My kick hadn't done anything but aggravate and motivate it.

"**These leeches of mine are special little girl! Once they stick they don't come off too easily"**

I sucked in air at the thought that trespassed in my head. "They're your artillery."

A tongue with a rectangular hole at its tip protruded from behind teeth as long as my forearm.

"**Not bad."**

_**RRRREEEEEEEEEEEEENNNN!**_

Its tongue vibrated to issue a high pitched ring. It must have been some kind of signal trigger because when it did the leeches on my body blew.

As in blew _up_.

On me.

Little bombs were blowing up all over my body.

I cried out this time and fell to the floor in shock, landing on my knees and elbows.

"**They're little bombs! Triggered by the sound my tongue makes!"**

"…I figured that out already." I rasped.

The white monster poised its large arms as if it was getting ready to take flight. My blood was beginning to dribble down on the concrete and it seemed to take a sniff.

"**You know… you don't smell human at all. At least not in the usual sense."**

I wasn't even going to try to make sense of what that was supposed to mean. "That's great but… I don't really feel like talking about it."

And I scampered probably a bit too swiftly and unexpectedly for the creature as it jerked in disbelief. Then it laughed and I saw over my shoulder as I ran past the first corner that it had taken to the air.

Crap.

Sprinting, trying mightily to ignore the screaming pain down my torso a few of the small soldier things started following on foot and burst a large string of disgusting leeches aimed at my legs. I leaped over them in what was probably the most risky hurdle I'd ever performed. When I clambered up to tread the fences the large creature roared again and a hidden soldier spat some more leeches on me; down my arm. I was knocked off the fence.

_**RRRRREEEEEEEEEEENNNNN!**_

My arm burst and it stung like a…

"**Watching you run away with your blood dripping really… gets… me… OFF!"**

Thank god for adrenaline. I moved again to avoid another servant and understood that the chase was just for fun. The thing could have taken me out easily during this run. It was making me work for my death. As it landed I twisted to face it at the other end of a lane.

"Why are you doing this? Why do you have to kill? Why are you chasing me?"

Retarded though the question may have been I just didn't understand what it was truly after. If I weighed up all the information I got this: it was a monster from my nightmares, it behaved like a serial lunatic killer, it liked the smell and appearance of blood… but what was it after?

It stomped in my direction. **"I'm a Hollow girly. This is what we do. We hunger for souls… and yours is practically a silver platter."**

…Souls.

It wanted to eat my soul.

Immediately my body tried to reject the concept but my brain wouldn't listen.

They didn't just chase and menace over spirits. They _had_ to consume them… They _ate _them… in order to survive. And here I was thinking that they were _just_ monsters.

There were living beings in this screwed up world and universe that devour spirits. _Living_ spirits.

I wonder what other twisted existences waited to encroach their treacherous nature upon us unknowing, illogical and emotionally led humans that allow our fears to best our inner strength.

"I won't just hand over my soul to you." I said in as calm a voice as possible.

"**I wouldn't want you too. In fact I think you should run some more! Make me work for it!" **I couldn't help it, my eyes were widening.** "And then, when I've had my fill, I'll eat your giant friend back were we left him."**

My gut clenched tightly. "And then what? You'll just let the boy go free… to hunt him some more?" Evil hedonistic.

"**Hehehe, well it's his fault little girl. He's the one that made the deal to save his mommy!"**

As sheer disgust and horror raced through me the hollow rushed forward.

It was going for the kill. Maybe I'd asked one too many questions. Whatever the reason it was diner time… and I had no intention of being the main course.

As if in slow motion my bleeding, aching arms came up in front of me. With grace the palms of my hands faced outward towards the incoming terror. I should have been scared to death but my head was buzzing again and my body was tingling, my heart racing, I felt so sharply present in the moment that the resounding terror at being eaten by this thing had worn to a dull nag.

His weight, his two large, retracted-winged claws rammed against my aloft arms…

…And they held. I didn't budge except to slide across the floor.

Again the faint green tinted aura enclosed my arms and covered my eyes. For just a moment I felt incredibly strong.

I was in the right place, at the right time.

I knew that apart from this creature there are just so much… so many different forms of life out there. And I could hear them…

They called through the black unknown and whispered so many unrecognisable things.

"**What? What are you doing?" **I flared the … whatever it was fluxing around me and it seemed to pain him, _it_. It couldn't pull its arms back. **"WHAT ARE YOU?" **

I…

…Was slowly loosing the small amount of increased power I'd managed to procure.

I built it up, allowing it to climb, to pressurize until it threatened to blow.

I heard a shout… someone was calling my name, somewhere far off. And I heard the sounds of cars honking, of sirens and yelling.

The voice calling my name sounding reassuringly familiar. For a moment my eyes focused over the surface of my raised arm and my jade blur of vision tried to centre on the distant figure; the tiny human running towards me in a black… something.

I pushed up against the burly and monstrous arms of the… Hollow? And it, he, pushed back.

Then I let it all out.

And the power crashed in between me and it catapulting us backwards; me far further in distance than it. I hit something hard, much harder than flesh… steel. And glass.

My body didn't hurt anymore but I felt unbearably weak and my back was wet.

Darkness filled my vision and my hearing fogged returning only in fragments. It made me feel somewhat detached.

"_Mai! … Dammit! Rukia is she alright?"_

"_Ichigo, get the hollow!"_

"_Wait… are those leeches?"_

"_It looks like they were used as explosive devices."_

"_Son of a…"_

I blacked out for a moment.

"…_We can't just leave her there! If it wasn't for her we wouldn't even know that there was a hollow going after the kid!"_

"_I'll make sure she's alright… just go."_

Chaotic noises and shouts; amidst the stress of it all I heard her voice as she wiped something off my forehead.

"_What are you? …What did you just do? I couldn't see anything but I felt a spike…"_

She wasn't expecting an answer.

"_I'll make sure you're who you say you are another time."_

Gee, won't that be a blast. I couldn't move a muscle… I felt numb.

"_**A substitute soul reaper huh? Wish I'd known you were out there but… I can't really decide which one of you smells tastier."**_

More fractured noise.

"…_You attacked Chad, you hounded the soul of a kid, you used him… and you attacked my friend who was defenceless against you!" _His voice turned to a justifiably antagonising attitude._ "Heh…You're a four star wanker."_

"_**She wasn't that defenceless you fool! Do you even see the wounds on my arms? I can't fly!"**_

"_Don't care. The fact is she's unconscious and your still standing. What, did you think I was going to let you run because you were injured?"_

I heard some movement.

"_So you like bombs? Then here! Have your friends back!"_

There was a crash followed by the hollow's grunt of pain.

Kurosaki was a master at goading persuasion.

"_What's wrong? Aren't you going to detonate them with your tongue? …Well if you won't use it then I'll just TAKE IT FROM YOU!"_

Some time later I heard a slice, a crack and a wail. The bellow was so fearful that I forced my eyes open and saw for a moment an image that would for ever be painted in my skull.

A pit of red and black horror… Twin gates with skeletons poised to stand halfway inside the solid matter and halfway outside that stood about fifty metres tall. It vibrated and came to a standstill which made me think it had grown from the ground. Not much of a stretch really seeing as how it looked like it could have easily sprung from a hell dimension.

Then I'm pretty sure I heard Kuchiki mention something about Hell Gates.

_Jigoku…_

The Hollow was imbedded on a huge axe and dragged backwards into hell as it screamed in absolute terror… more fear than any of his victims felt before they'd died.

That's when I really fell unconscious.

* * *

**Kurosaki Clinic**

_Where… am I?_

Dull overhead lights dim as they were still glared in my view as my eyes squinted open. I was lying on something soft but not too comfortable; as if too much bounce would impede recovery.

And I was in mending.

I couldn't look to my side properly; something was wrapped around my neck, maybe gauze and it prevented me from turning my head too far round. Taking a deep breath I tested the waters just to make sure I actually _could_ budge before pushing myself up from the clinic bed.

Clinic bed.

I was in the Kurosaki clinic.

…Meaning I wasn't at home. God, what time was it? 10 O'clock? I hadn't been unconscious for more than three hours.

My head flashed back to the events of the evening. Hell Gates… Hollows… Kurosaki…

Kurosaki stopped the Hollow somehow.

I'd gotten my ass well and truly whipped and yet he'd been able to take it out in a matter of minutes. These past few weeks I'd been asked more times then I can count about who or what I was. Well _I_ wanted to know who Ichigo Kurosaki was.

And I needed to vacate the premises and get home as soon as possible.

Sat in bed I checked my self over and found bandages covering half of my body. I shimmied forward towards the edge and tested my weight on one foot. All was well. Then a second foot. Good so far.

I limped around the bed to check my chart and froze when a door opened to the right of the bed behind the large green screen.

Quiet footsteps closed in on the partition and a shadow became still.

"Mai… you awake?" Kurosaki asked softly.

I didn't know whether to sigh in relief that it was him and no one else who came in or freak out because I didn't know what to say to him.

I was actually trembling a little from the strain of standing too still. The silhouette of his hand reached out for the curtain and I wanted to shield myself from sight as the soft glow from a side lamp hit my form. I looked like the proverbial deer trapped in the headlights. He stood silently and blinked, probably wondering what the hell I was doing.

"What are you doing up?" He asked slowly. Then he seemed to come to his senses. "Wait! You're injured! Get back in bed… now!"

I paused for a minute before speaking, taking in his clothing; dark slacks and a white t-shirt. Bed clothes. Oh…

He'd come to check on me before bed?

Well… that was nice of him…

I swallowed and shook my head weakly. "I can't, I've got to go home."

He hushed me. "You can go home tomorrow. Rest up…" His eyes roamed to my neck slowly travelling to my shoulders. "Please." His voiced was laced with a pleading guilt that fogged my already buzzing brain.

I reached a hand up to pat the areas his eyes were concentrating on and felt extra gauze etc fastened there. It felt like over kill.

"I-I don't need this." I whispered and started to pull it off.

Maybe my brain wasn't co-operating due to drugs or something but I really did feel fine. Just ridiculously tired and sore.

His reaction however made me think twice.

"What are you _doing_? Don't pull that off!" Too late. The wrapping around my neck fell away and he cursed.

"What the hell?" His voice though irritated and exasperated and worried was kept quiet. There were probably others in the building around us; it was connected to a house after all. He bent to pick up the bandages with an almost growl sound.

"I'm alright, see?" I said soothingly.

He rounded on me with his funny but mad twitching expression; the same one he used when he was feeling one too many emotions and he didn't know which to use first… and anger usually predominated the rest.

"You were thrown onto the roof of a car! Your neck was _gushing_ _blood_! You are not…"

He stopped abruptly as his eyes once again paused in their travel to my now uncovered neck.

"W-what is it?"

He blinked dumbly as he peered from the side. "…It's nowhere near as bad as it was."

Oh… why not, what with everything else that's happened this evening.

I smiled hesitantly at him.

He sighed and shook his head.

"I still don't think it's a good idea for you to go home just yet." He shoved his fingers into his hair tiredly.

I sagged against the bed frame and pondered. My house wasn't too far from his but add to it my more than up-beat form and it would be somewhat like climbing Mount Everest.

"Do you have my bag?" I asked.

He looked around and walked over to a desk unit. From underneath he withdrew my bag. He raised a questioning brow and I pulled out my mobile. I sent a subtle text; given that I was used to living alone I'd been given a lot of lee-way in relation to curfews. There were three increasingly anxious texts already there for me to feel guilty about.

I waved the phone at him. "I'm just calling my family… they already knew I'd be out late anyway so… I put your number in by the way…" As you can see I'm _so_ the expert at babbling.

But I wanted to demonstrate that I valued this new and utterly bizarre friendship that he'd offered, just as much as he seemed to.

He nodded with a bit of a shuffle.

I messed about with the bag for a moment, placing it beside my bed as he watched me.

Then I remembered. "Is Sado going to be okay?"

He made his way over to the cot. "Yeah, he's in the room next to yours."

"How about the bird… and the boy?" I wanted to know what he would say. Would he confirm the facts? Could he?

He cleared his throat. "The bird is fine. And the boy… yeah, he moved on."

I watched his eyes flicker. "What about the… whatever it was that was hunting him?"

He swallowed but his eyes didn't move from mine this time. "Just another angry ghost."

So that was it. He couldn't tell me anything. He was being held at an obligation though it was obvious from the soft apology held in his brown eyes that he wanted to talk about it, and from his earnest stare that most would miss that it wasn't a snub aimed at me.

Still my gut tugged.

I had to ask, to make sure… and on the off chance that he might say more. "I saw those gates…" I closed my eyes. "And I swear I saw a monster… and I heard you shouting…"

I let myself trail off but kept my eyes firmly closed.

It took him a moment before he spoke. "Mai you… you banged your head pretty badly. There's a good chance you hallucinated…" His tone was hesitant, cautious and with some trepidation, the same kind one would use when worried about the emotions of a patient.

And it reeked of self repugnance.

He was lying to me and he hated it.

It didn't stop the pull in my diaphragm but… there was nothing I could do. I was fearful toward the reaction he may give me if I were to tell him I fought with a creature named a Hollow; that I'd heard him fight it too… that deep down I wondered if I really was delusional. That I wasn't focusing on that I'd nearly died, that I knew Kurosaki was lying to me proved how insecure I really was.

It proved how much I wanted his friendship and I didn't know how to handle the residual impact the emotions from being lied to have on me.

I opened my eyes and without looking at him crawled back onto the cot. "You're probably right." I muttered quietly.

"Yeah…" He whispered, playing along.

I moved under the covers and watched his hand out of the corner of my eye as it fisted in the sheet at the bottom of the cot that he was leaning against.

His back was to me so I couldn't see his expression.

"Mai?"

"Hmm?"

"Do me a favour?"

"…Sure."

"If you find another ghost that's being… _hounded_ on by another bad spirit, come tell me. Don't go off looking for a way to help it… its too dangerous." He spoke low and calm as if he were talking about a homework assignment.

I nodded then winced at the painful jolt it made down my back. "…Alright." …Lie after lie.

He nodded back.

He pushed of the frame and finally looked down at my curled up form. It made him yawn and he brought a hand up to smother it.

I bit my lip. "Kurosaki?"

"Hmm?"

I looked away from him for a moment. "Thank you."

He tilted his head. "For what?"

"…For saving my life." I said quietly.

He tried to dismiss it with a frown. "I didn't really do anything…"

I shook my head into the pillow. "No, you brought me here. And I _did_ hear you… you did more than just _stand_ there."

He pressed his lips together and leaned on one leg as if he weren't sure what to say or do. He caught me watching him and quirked up the side of his lips.

"You should go get some rest Kurosaki." I said as I brought an arm up to accompany my head on the pillow. "You look like you could sleep for a week."

He snorted. "Look who's talking."

He walked towards the door before a thought made my eyes snap open.

"Wait!"

Startled he turned back.

I gulped as I half sat, half lay on the cot. I could trust him with this, I had too. "Your father, he didn't take a blood sample did he?" I asked hurriedly.

He stood there with his hand already on the door knob, a slowly furrowing brow bringing back the scowl fully on his tired face.

"..No he didn't."

I closed my eyes in relief and lay back down on the pillows facing the ceiling.

"Why?"

My eyes didn't open at his tense question. It didn't matter anyway; he couldn't possibly know why I'd asked anyway.

"Just… don't take any of my blood… okay?" I whispered without looking to check his face. Mine was scrunched into a pained grimace as my head began to throb and pulse again. But he didn't answer. "Please just trust me Kurosaki."

"…Alright." He said finally.

I turned my head to the side to look at him feeling suddenly guilty. He stood there looking at me curiously. I let a soft smile grace my face. "…We all have our secrets Kurosaki."

He raised an eyebrow with a definite smirk lining the side of his jaw. "You know… I'll figure it out eventually, whatever it is you're hiding."

"Not before I figure out yours."

His scowl returned. "Is that a challenge?"

"Hardly, I'm already halfway there." I closed my eyes again, more than ready to sleep.

"Game on Mai."

His quiet provocation made me grin like nothing else.

* * *

**Ichigo's Bedroom**

"How is she?"

Ichigo's forehead twitched; he'd entered his bedroom to find his shinigami guide reclining on his bed next to the window, calm as you please making herself at home.

He sighed with an eye roll; the woman would never listen to him about the boundaries of his bedroom. Guys have boundaries; not many, but some which they need others to adhere to.

"She's fine. She's sleeping."

He didn't mention how stunned he'd been to find her standing, to find her capable of doing so without toppling over.

When they'd brought her in (with the help of two complete strangers from the car accident) blood had poured all down her back and side.

He'd figured his dad would have sent her straight to the hospital and for a single moment he'd dreaded over the idea of having to explain how sorry he was to nameless, faceless strangers that were her family.

But he'd found her _standing_.

His dad said she was doing well but… Christ.

"The wounds on her back were made by the hollow." Rukia said unnecessarily.

Yeah… the large claw marks raked into her right shoulder blade.

He should have figured that if she could see ghosts as well as he could then she could see Hollows too.

But what the hell had she been doing toying with a hollow?

…No. He knew full well…

She was trying to save Chad and Yuichi… by making herself the target.

Stupid…

And so …good.

But still…

She was a freaking idiot!

"Ichigo?"

He snapped back to attention. "What?"

Her arms were crossed as she stared out of the window, her expression pensive. "Mai Li… what do you know about her?"

"Huh?"

She looked back to stare him in the eye and while they were relaxed the rest of her; her body language and facial expression was on edge.

"Are you friends?"

He rubbed the back of his neck. "…Yes."

She watched him. "Why did you pause?"

He sighed again. "It's complicated." She raised a curious brow and he relented. "I met her on the first day of school but it took a little while for her…" He paused to reconsider. "…I wanted her to…" He frowned when it still didn't sound right. "She holds back a lot a school. I want to be her friend but I kind of sabotaged the trust issue recently." He added with a grimace.

"She can see ghosts." Rukia added softly.

He nodded stifling a yawn. Mai's secrets were hers to tell Rukia, not for him to go blabbing about… not that he knew much but…

"Maybe I should use the Kiokuchikan on her…"

He stopped abruptly in between yawn and stretch.

"…It wouldn't do for her to have memory of the incident and to go around blabbing it the next person she-"

"No. No way. We're not going to do it to her, not like what we did to Inoue… Not this time."

Rukia paused as she watched him; the conviction in his eyes and the more serious tilt to his eyebrows.

He stared her straight in the eye. "…Not this time Rukia, we can't."

"Why? Keeping your identity secret Ichigo is of the utmost importance. Humans are not supposed to know about the existence of soul reapers."

It took him a minute to answer. "This is different… it's complicated." He sighed. "…She saved Chad's life, it would be a pretty crappy pay off if she was to have her memories erased just for that."

"Substituted, not erased."

"Whatever."

He couldn't even understand it himself, not really. All he knew was that it didn't feel right. The very idea felt like a betrayal and he didn't think he could go through with it. He knew that Rukia was only trying to keep him and his friends/family safe, that 'substituting' Inoue's and Tatsuki's memories was as much for their safety as his but…

Mai was different.

It wasn't necessary.

"Get some sleep Ichigo." Rukia said, interrupting his thoughts. She jumped off his bed dressed in his sister's pj's and walked towards the closet were she slept.

Small though it maybe that tiny cupboard was blissfully comfortable. No way was she telling anybody else that; it was all hers… not like anyone would actually care…

Grateful that she'd dropped the subject he nodded. "I don't need telling twice." He said as he stepped forward.

And crashed into his covers, out like a light.

Rukia Kuchiki's mind however dwelled. How had Mai Li known about the Hollow before she and Ichigo? Hollow: Shrieker. Servant user. Level two and above. Sadistic impulsive.

She was far from ungrateful; the hollow was a notorious trouble maker for soul reapers and it earned her a pretty penny with Urahara but…

How could Mai have sensed its arrival hours before it attacked?

And how could she see ghosts?

She didn't have quite the same feeling of spiritual energy coming off her that Ichigo had and his was by no means stable… But hers…

For that small moment it had been a shot of the most refined of energies.

Rukia had felt it vibrate the air before a shot of greenish… _something_ had escaped Mai Li's body. She'd arrived a few seconds earlier than Ichigo and had glimpsed the strange phenomena. And the Hollow: the injuries on its arms had been so severe it couldn't move them even a fraction.

The worst thing about it though was that Kuchiki couldn't deem Mai a friend or foe.

She couldn't sense anything from her in that particular sense. This alone unnerved the small soul reaper. Normally she was good at getting a read on an individual. Now, she couldn't even scratch the surface.

* * *

**Mai**

At night the room was a home of shadows likened to my dreams.

The dark could be noted peaceful or frighteningly intense.

And I never knew when a vision or an apparition would visit me in my most vulnerable state of self. I couldn't always tell, whenever this happened, if I was asleep or really awake.

But there was no doubt with this one.

Something had awoken me so suddenly I had to question whether or not I had actually been asleep at all. I'd blinked sleep out of my eyes only to feel the air around me shift and turn cold.

I shivered and received that prickle on the back of your neck when you know you're not alone, when the small hairs stand up on end.

Slowly I lifted my head from the pillows to stare into the darkened areas of the clinic room.

A boy was standing in the darkest corner.

What little light was available from the faint glow through the gap in between the green bed curtains reflected upon his white school shirt. The moonlight through the small window made the blood look quite black.

He was talking but no words, no sound whatsoever came out of his mumbling mouth. His eyes were wide and vacant.

My heart was pumping like mad but I managed to whisper. "I…I can't understand what you're trying to say."

In the night his hand stretched out towards me, as if he wanted to show me something.

Then the darkness around him seemed to contract and he disappeared.

I sucked in a breath.

Never had I been visited during my sleeping hours before… It felt like an invasion.

Especially in a room not my own. I felt vulnerable. I wondered for a moment why he hadn't visited Kurosaki who was just one floor up from me.

Why was he trying to communicate to _me_? What could I do?

Needless to say I didn't go back to sleep.

* * *

**The Next Day…**

The next morning I'm ashamed to say that I snuck away from the clinic before anybody woke up. I narrowly avoided bumping into Dr. Kurosaki on the way too. I didn't want any hassle so I'd left the address of the Onsen so that the bill could be sent there.

It wasn't as if I were ungrateful… it was just that I wanted to avoid the questions and inevitable grilling Miss Rukia Kuchiki would put me through.

Plus… the vision the night before hadn't allowed for even a remotely peaceful slumber. Understandably I was a little spooked. But unusually enough my body wasn't suffering too badly; I'd say I was doing much too well after my little accident… I was diligently ignoring the fact that I'd toyed with a hollow. Even after so little sleep my body was alight with anticipation.

Needless to say however that once I arrived home Chiyu wasn't impressed by my appearance; especially after I'd told her there had been a car wreck down in Minamikawase.

_That_ had made her stutter to silence.

I tried not to feel guilty as hell about it too.

After disbelieving shouts I still decided to go to school but was surprised by the scowler standing choc full of attitude a few yards in front of the Onsen.

I blinked. "Kurosaki…?"

Arms were crossed over his chest, his glare screamed just how unimpressed he was with my behaviour and a muscle in his cheek twitched every other second. He seemed determined to glare the crap out of me even if his eyes flickered occasionally from me to the striking looking Onsen and back again in obvious curiosity.

I gulped and tried to smile apologetically. "…Sorry." It came out like a question.

He snorted. "Did you _have_ to run off that early? Dad went nuts thinking you'd been taken or something and Yuzu, my _little sister_, almost cried!"

His lips turned upwards when he saw the shame in my eyes. His sister worked as a kind of helper nurse to her father, I remembered hearing her voice. Impressive in one so young.

Still… I grimaced. "Hitting a little below the belt don't you think?"

He raised his eyebrows in disbelief. "Er… _no_. You freaked _me_ out too." My eyes widened and he sighed. "Even Chad stayed to get checked up on."

My tone turned attentive. "How is he? …Does he remember…?" I let my voice trail off when Kurosaki's eyes found mine again.

"…His memory's a bit jumbled. He took a pretty good knock to the head… but he's going to be fine." He replied seriously before adding, "He's waiting around the corner with Rukia."

I blinked_. Oh, what, really?_ Unexpected. Nodding my head and quietly closing the door behind me I stepped into line with him. Today Pei was sleeping in an extra hour and Jihi was already at the school for his kickboxing and wrestling session with the first/second years.

Kurosaki kept close as if to male sure I didn't go anywhere.

Noticing that he didn't wear a tie (not all guys did) or the obligatory undershirt he gestured towards the corner and led the way.

"So…" He scratched his neck and indicated his head in the direction of the Onsen. Enough said.

"Oh, right, erm… my family owns a chain of them. They moved here when it started to do well."

He raised an eyebrow at me. "_They_ moved here? _Not_ you?"

I shook my head. "Not at the time. I stayed for the rest of the year so that I could finish middle school."

His brow furrowed. "Was it that important to you that you had to stay behind?"

I looked at him side on. "When I start something I finish it… preferably with as good an outcome as I can possibly achieve."

He looked me in the face for a few seconds before a sigh like chuckle escaped him.

I blinked. "What?"

He shook his head with a slight grin. "Nothing. I'm just getting a solid glimpse of what you're personality is really like."

I frowned confused. "…Is it humorous or something?"

He just shook his head leaving me all the more baffled.

We reached the end of the street to see Sado sitting on a low wall and Kuchiki standing with her arms folded.

When she saw me her body language immediately turned defensive and her eyes held a kind of curious suspicion within them.

Great…

She raised an eyebrow and without her usual buoyancy asked. "How are you feeling?"

I shrugged and tilted my head. "So, so. I'm not in any pain or anything." Not much anyway.

As Kuchiki's brow began to furrow Sado stepped up. "…That's good." He seemed relieved. His mouth opened again as if he wanted to say something else and I waited. After a moment I was rewarded. "Sorry. You got hurt because you tried to help me…"

I shook my head good naturedly and out of the corner of my eye I saw Kurosaki and Kuchiki have a silent eye conversation. "It wasn't your fault, what I did was dumb, incredibly so… in fact I'd thank Kurosaki…"

Said person jerked round upon hearing his name, distracted from whatever he and Kuchiki were discussing.

"…He did save us after all." I finished with a smile.

Kurosaki blinked at me as Sado looked at him in surprise. Obviously he'd completely missed his presence the previous night.

I moved past them and started onwards to school ignoring the look of unease Kuchiki threw my way.

It wasn't until I'd reached the end of the lane that footsteps thundered behind me. I turned my head a few inches just to have Kurosaki deliberately nudge his bag into my good shoulder. Looking at him he just scowled as he walked by my side. Sado and Kuchiki joined us within moments and we travelled silently, companionably, yet tensely to school.

Had I said the wrong thing before? I saw the small look Kurosaki gave me; of begrudging friendliness and baffled inquisitiveness. Maybe, just maybe I wasn't so bad at this friendship gig.

The day at school was normal for the most part apart from two things.

First there was a rumour circulating about a missing first year in class 1-A. Not one person knew the name which made me think that either he was a nobody without friends or he had a close knit crew of just a few of them. It turned out I was correct on the latter as we passed a group of four people whispering and muttering behind their hands with worried eyes.

It didn't help that whatever description I could gather about the boy was eerily similar to the vision that paid me a visit last night.

All day I looked for him. He didn't show.

Most people however had their attention captured by the arrival of a new fairground. The attraction had hosted its third consecutive night and had another week to go before it took off. Keigo was already having kittens about going to it one night this week.

When I entered class with Sado we were swamped with questions by our friends about our bandages and hidden injuries. There was really nothing to say on the matter. We were fine.

However when Keigo saw me and the plasters on my neck he completely ignored the fact that I might be in pain and jumped on me. Again he reminded me of Pei and her tactics during some of her more memorable and overenthusiastic displays of affection. Where they twins separated at birth? All I knew now was that two people gave me daily bruises. And it was one of the reasons why I never stopped her from doing it.

Keigo shouted with crying eyes. "MAI! WHAT HAPPENED TO YOU? MY HERO GOT HURT BEING HEROIC!"

It went on like that for awhile.

Eventually Kurosaki had to bop him on the head calling him an idiot as Chad- no Sado! _No_! Kurosaki calling him Chad all the time was rubbing off on me. Anyway SADO helped me up.

OH… apparently his bird flew away. I felt sorry for him, especially after his forlorn expression; he really did like small and cute things. Maybe he'd like Pei.

I half expected Rukia Kuchiki to intercept me at some point during the day but… zip.

She'd watched me out of the corner of her eye like a hawk though, as though she was waiting for some sort of sign of my character that she could act upon, some possible negativity to latch upon.

Everything was rolling by at speed. The air itself seemed to change. It was only a matter of time before all was altered.

"…_ai…"_

And yet I felt as if Kurosaki was already aware of the change and experiencing it for himself.

"…_Mai."_

I was behind on some universal memorandum and yet the hands and various energies simultaneously pulling at me refused to allow me time to adjust.

"Mai!"

Locks of auburn hair drifted in my view followed by a pair of unusually and emotionally perceptive grey eyes.

"Mai? Are you in there? Oh no… maybe space aliens invaded her brain! Mai, come back to us!"

Pulled from my deeper thoughts I snapped awake to gape slightly dazed at the hands waving rapidly in front of my face.

"Er, Orihime?" I blinked and sighed. "Sorry I was deep in thought." I peered up at her as she looked down at me.

Well I did look a right sight today.

Her head tilted. "Are you sure you're alright?" I nodded with a strained smile. Then her hands clasped. "Maybe if you came to the fair tonight… Oh wait…" She said and deflated with a small pout. "I won't be able to make it…" Then she perked up again with bright sparkly eyes. "But it's bound to be fun and Tatsuki's going too!"

I peered at her. "Still sorting out your apartment?" Or what was left of it.

She nodded perkily and beamed at me.

I felt suddenly _extremely _undeserving of her presence.

Afternoon found us sat in one of the lower floor classrooms waiting for our teacher to arrive with his copious notes; lunch had been a rather deflated affair and I felt an unconscious tug in my stomach that Kurosaki was avoiding sitting near me… but that didn't stop him from watching me.

And right after the bell rang for fourth period I'd sensed the unwavering flux of activity round near the corner of the school and as soon as I'd done so I'd involuntarily searched out Kurosaki and Kuchiki. The energy emission was a Hollow. It was much clearer to sense now that I'd personally faced one. I found the duo walking on opposite sides of the corridor and yet they were still… together in a sense.

In that single moment Kurosaki chose to look back at me and paused in his walk, searching me with a deliberating frown.

Then Kuchiki's phone went off and he jumped. In a flash it was out oh her pocket and she was reading the message. She looked at Kurosaki and I almost missed the nod she threw his way before she pelted passed me and down the hall way.

Kurosaki followed her immediately.

Well… that was unexpected. Two guesses where they went. I felt pretty dumb about how long it had taken for me to figure it out actually.

Afterwards I was accosted once again by Keigo and _everyone_ else. The topic of discussion was the fair ground and they all wanted to know if I would be going and if I wanted to be picked up.

I immediately answered with a solid no, Jihi not withstanding, I wasn't sure I had the energy for new introductions, not today being as discombobulated as I was. The very image of my friends meeting my family made me sweat.

But the moment I'd explained to Keigo that I lived next to an Onsen that my family _owned_ I immediately wished I hadn't.

"An Onsen… one of my girlfriends lives in an _Onsen_…" He whispered dreamily.

_One of my girlfriends? _I raised a brow over at Tatsuki and saw her shaking her head darkly at Keigo as if to say 'dream on'.

Kurosaki just happened to be passing by (cough, eves-dropping, cough) and looked over at me.

"Oh yeah, I never did ask you about that."

"There's not much to tell." I answered quietly and diffidently; I preferred never to speak about myself.

Unfortunately for me Kurosaki seemed to have the natural propensity to a) bring unwanted attention down upon me and b) be unnaturally nosy about my life.

Which meant that he wouldn't let up any time soon.

The determined look in his eyes said more than enough about that.

All my subtle hints had given him a kind of thirst to understand, more than probably, why I was the way I was.

And now I had the attention of Keigo, Mizuiro, Tatsuki and Orihime… the princess looked more than a little surprised to find that Kurosaki knew where I lived and that I lived in an Onsen… double the affect. Then again I never did let up much about myself as was my way.

I swallowed.

A thoughtful look spread over Tatsuki's face. "So your family owns an Onsen huh? You never did say…" She trailed off.

"We never did ask." Kurosaki replied as he side glanced his long time friend.

He placed his bag to rest on the floor against the desk he half leaned, half sat on. He scowled and gave me a one over.

"What?" I asked.

He pointed a single finger at me. "You're going to run an Onsen? _You_?" I don't _think_ he was trying to be insulting… It was the natural assumption to think that I would inherit the place.

I shifted and shook my head. "…No." God no. When he nodded appeased I spoke again. "Why?"

He shrugged and embellished. "I just couldn't imagine that being the… kind of life that you would want… in the future."

I tilted my head. "What kind of life _does_ it look like I'd be suited to in future?" If I was being honest I actually wanted his opinion. I myself had no clue to the intricacies of my own mind. I couldn't see myself doing anything beyond the tomorrow so the fact that he may have seen something I hadn't was a compelling thought for analysis.

And it was that same expression on his face. The infuriating way he'd stare at something with his overly powerful scowl and the pointed ridge of his constantly furrowed brow; how he'd suck on a pencil and just… stare.

The kind of look where you weren't entirely sure whether he just really disliked you, whether he had in fact caught a glimpse of food stuck in your teeth or some gum in your hair, or if he was just bored and looking for something to find interest in.

Of course it was kind of analytical too… not that someone with his personality would _ever_ be caught analysing anyone. I fought to keep a passive expression.

I caught Tatsuki scratching her neck. "Hmmm… I think you'd be good doing something that involved kicking butt." She seemed to ponder for a moment before she blinked with a start and looked at me quickly. "Hey! You'd be a good teacher!" She added with some bounce; it was the only time Tatsuki showed a more bubbly side to her persona, when Martial Arts was involved.

I dropped my forehead into my hand as Kurosaki's eyebrow drifted upwards and looked away to Tatsuki. "Teacher?"

She nodded satisfied with her conclusion. "At my dojo." She shrugged. "It shouldn't be much of a stretch to believe, she pretty much proved that the last time we went at it."

With wide eyes I looked up at her in disbelief. This was not a subject I wished to approach.

But Tatsuki didn't waver; she just shrugged again. To her there was no problem… but for me the damage was now done.

"Wait…"

I grimaced when I heard his voice and turned to face him again. He looked between me and Tatsuki. "You sparred?" I didn't reply so much as moan but Tatsuki nodded her head smiling.

His eyes lightened in interest. "How did it go?"

"Great, great, Tatsuki's great!" I butted in, hoping to shift the attention onto Tatsuki through a compliment.

Kurosaki lifted an eyebrow at her.

"She kept up." She replied simply. "…She impressed the other students there; half of the class want her to come back for an encore." Tatsuki added after a moment.

I smiled uneasily. "No more than you Tatsuki." Kurosaki's scowling face turned from Tatsuki to me than back again. She frowned at me too confused as to why I was becoming increasingly anxious.

"No more than _usual_. They see me practice every day."

I shrugged. "Well then it was probably because they aren't use to seeing anybody else practice with you." End of discussion.

"Oh yeah…" Tatsuki continued as with an airy yet patronising nod and I felt a moment of foreboding. "…_Very_ impressed they were… to see me on the floor with your knee in my face and your hand fisted in my hair." She finished with a grin and walked off towards her seat with the Princess in tow.

I pressed my lips together. Well there goes that plan.

My eyes flickered to Kurosaki who hadn't moved off his desk. His head was tilted and he was looking at me again with that scowl.

"…Not bad. You beat Tatsuki." He finally uttered.

"We tied."

He shook his head. "No, Tatsuki said you kept up. That means that you're at least as good as she is… maybe better if what she said was true."

I raised an eyebrow. "Does it matter?"

"…No."

But he was still looking at me. Trying to draw out my secrets and yet completely at ease with how slow the process was going. I wasn't very enthused with the idea of people knowing I was a good fighter. If anything Tatsuki's teacher would come-a-knocking and then the entire school would know. Not that they'd care or anything but if anybody ever received the slightest whiff of my past they would immediately know who to go to.

Kurosaki seemed to deliberate for a moment before moving up off the desk. He scratched his neck and looked down at the floor as if to pick up his bag.

"…We should spar sometime." He muttered.

Quickly I looked at him completely caught off guard. I remembered Tatsuki saying that after sparring with her once he never did again… because he beat her. Even though she could still improve, even though that's what sparring partners do he still hadn't wanted to again. At first I thought that maybe it was because he'd secured his position as top. Then I thought maybe he didn't want to hurt her. But then I came to an understanding… he just didn't feel the need to.

Sure, Kurosaki was the competitive kind but… not with Tatsuki.

And that must have hurt her... and not just for the fact that he didn't consider her as opposition but because there are certain emotions involved with having a competitive streak… Passion. Anger. Frustration… Desire… satisfaction… fulfilment…

Emotions that were absent between them.

He didn't feel any particular kind of inclination or intense feeling towards sparring with her… which probably meant that he also didn't see her as anything more than a friend.

Being more perceptive with the feelings of others than my own, it was in some ways easier to scope out Tatsuki's feelings than Orihime's. She had a crush on Kurosaki too.

But the guy was oblivious.

…And he was waiting for some kind of answer. I cleared my throat and nodded. "Sure… I mean if you'd like to… sure." I uttered quietly.

I may be less than enthusiastic about my peers being privy to the more sordid details of my life but I did enjoy sparring.

He blinked. "Yeah? …Great, we can-"

"_Excuse me… ssccuuussseemmmeeeee! This is your cell phone! Pick up buddy! Pick up, pick up, PICK UPPP!"_

We both froze as the LOUD whiny sound reverberated from his pant pocket. His scowl grew comically rigid and I fought down the urge to laugh out loud.

"Er… was that um, your phone?" my voice wobbled in amusement.

Kurosaki's face was slowing turning into a deep red, still frozen in his former slouch.

The people around us were staring at him.

The obnoxious ring tone started again and he immediately snapped in fingers into his pocket to turn off the sound. He stared in livid disbelief at the phone as an eyebrow twitched.

"…_Keigo…_" He breathed furiously.

"IIICCCHHHIIIGGGOOO!"

Impeccable timing.

Keigo came running through the door of the class room and immediately bounded for his orange haired friend who stuck his foot at the last possible second causing Keigo to go flying on the floor.

He moaned as he moved to turn on his back. "H-hey Ichigo… buddy…"

"You're no buddy of mine! You see this?"

Kurosaki shoved his phone into Keigo's face. "What the hell did you do to my phone?"

Keigo blinked at device ignoring the threatening look he was receiving. "Do?"

"You changed the freaking ring tone!" Kurosaki shouted in his face as he bent over him. "WHAT'S WITH THIS WUSSY 'SCUSE ME' DEAL?" He shouted with wide eyes.

Pathetically Keigo tried to smile in order to placate. "O-oh t-that… I-it was a… joke?"

Oh man… what a noob.

Some time later a fairly bruised Keigo and a completely satisfied Kurosaki sat near to me.

"RIGHT!" Keigo jumped up despite the bruises. "MAI YOU ARE INVITED TO COME-"

"And by invite he means you have _no_ choice in the matter." Kurosaki added his five cents with his usual scowl.

Keigo ignored him and pushed on. "-TO THE FAIR GROUND TONIGHT!"

Hadn't we already been over this? The day had finally moved on and Keigo had exploded with un-declared enthusiasm.

He wouldn't take no for an answer.

Unfortunately this meant that everyone else had to suffer alongside his outrageous smiles.

I tried my hardest to once again ignore my complicated and confused feelings that had been so abounded lately; the bright light of Kurosaki not withstanding.

So, according to Keigo's plan, poor Tatsuki would be dragged by an extremely deprived Keigo and (oddly enough) Mizuiro who would then burst their way into Kurosaki's place. They would haul him unceremoniously from his house regardless of any due-in-tomorrow homework to spend time with their two needy friends kicking and screaming to go pick up myself.

The moment Keigo mentioned this plan Kurosaki slapped a hand over his eyes.

The fact that I lived in the most talked about place of rest only seemed to spurn him on.

"Er Keigo, I said this before, I could just meet you there." I said with a kind smile. If they came to fetch me they'd meet Jihi and that was a scene I wasn't quite ready to deal with.

Ichigo huffed and crossed his arms, his scowl showered on us all. "It doesn't matter what you say, they'll just do it anyway." Then he smirked mercilessly. "On second thought, why not? They're going to make me come, why not give you the same treatment! Heck, it'd be nice to see the same thing happen to someone else for a change."

My eyebrow twitched before I fake sighed. "Oh, you're _so_ hard done to."

"I am, believe me." He said, his voice long suffering.

Keigo looked scandalised. "But Ichigo! You'd never play with us if we didn't drag you out too!"

A tick formed on Kurosaki's brow as Mizuiro looked to his pathetic friend. "…Play?"

Today wasn't a day I would have dreamed about nor was it a day to expect great things. It was just another day. And yet after today my life would change forever. Change was swift after all and the consequences of ones actions being what they are I would step forth into a world that Kurosaki opened a door to…

The prequel was over.

But the life altering event, the exact moment when my existence becomes a target for scrutiny, where up becomes down and left turns to right…

…Starts with a funfair and a haunted house.

* * *

Evidently I'd no choice in the matter but in the end I managed to convince Keigo and everyone to meet me there. It had been too easy to leave the Onsen; I'd practically been forced out of the door.

And Pei was expecting details.

"_Sorry Pei." I'd said quietly so as to not alert Jihi or Chiyu._

_For the first time it would be Pei that would be missing out and not myself. But she took it gracefully._

_Pei had shrugged. "No biggy… I'll want details later." She'd added with a suggestive smile._

_I'd tilted my head thoroughly nonplussed. "…Details?"_

_Pei nodded once. "Details."_

_I'd raised my eyebrows. "…Okay, but-"_

"_PEI! PEI WHERE ARE YOU? IT'S TIME FOR YOUR LESSONS AND DADDY'S NOT FEELING THE LOVE HERE!"_

_We'd both cringed in wide eyed alarm as the sound echoed from the back of the house were my uncle was awaiting his daughter's presence._

"_Go!" Pei had hushed at me as she pushed me down the yard._

_I'd ran and pulled on my jacket as I tore past the letterbox._

_Luckily I was out of sight by the time Jihi emerged in all his teaching glory to lecture Pei who just rolled her eyes and stomped back inside._

But really, what kind of details was she expecting. I could hardly explain about the few apparitions or ghosts I'd seen on my way over here or the fact that I was constantly on the lookout for Hollows. Stupid seeing as how I couldn't do anything against them, at least not without the aid of Kurosaki… the perfect and unwanted recipe for a damsel if I ever heard one.

A lot had happened in just 24 hours and I wasn't sure how to take it all in.

Kurosaki's casual intrigue… Kuchiki's suspicions… Keigo's idiocy… Pei's assumptions… Jihi and Chiyu's mysterious behaviour… Uryu Ishida's stigma…

And my chaotic dreams; dark and full of miscellaneous content.

I would wonder what it all meant some other time but right now… fun was calling to me.

The rhythm of the fair pulsed even from half a mile away; the various echoes of energy making my own hum. I could see it so clearly I started to smile reduced to a child like innocence when first shown the delights of carousels and candyfloss.

It stood out like a neon bright Christmas tree in a shopping centre at night in the middle of summer.

The fair was quite a bit larger than I thought it would be and the rides were numerous varying from the ever popular Waltz to the classic Ferris wheel. Bright lights flashed in an array of colours and you couldn't really help but be swept away by it all. May had only just started and the weather had gone from 'chilly' with 'rain showers' to 'dry' with 'warm wind flowing from the west' or so said the weather girl.

It had been years since I'd last been to an amusement fair. I tried to enjoy myself but it was difficult knowing Pei would have so much loved to have joined us. But then we would have run the risk of suffering the wrath of Jihi.

It didn't take long for me to locate Kurosaki.

Curiously he was alone; passively staring up at the bright lights or the stars, whichever. There wasn't a single thought expressed upon his face and his frown though hard-lined wasn't angry or focused.

"Hey." I spoke quietly not knowing if I were intruding on his quiet.

He blinked turning his head sharply in my direction. Eyebrows raised, he moved towards me. "Hey… you're early." Then he frowned incredulous. "Did you want to come here _that_ badly?" Apparently the mere thought of more 'Keigo time' was too much to stand.

I looked at him dead-pan. "Hardly." Actually I'd wanted an early night. I shrugged. "I had the time."

He sighed. "I wish _I_ did."

I tilted my head as I watched him focus once again on whatever he was staring at. "Then why did you come too?"

"You're kidding right?"

I blinked at him.

"You do realise that Keigo would never let it go if I hadn't decided to show. Besides…" His eyes flickered to our surroundings. "…I had things to do here too."

"Like ghost hunting?" I asked.

Startled auburn or brown or tawny (pick one, his eyes fit a range of a multitude of brown colours) eyes glanced at me, slowly relaxing. Then he nodded in acceptance as he brushed a hand over his naturally spiky hair. "A little girl named Sen was here… I wanted to get here to… _talk_ to her before she…"

"Before she was eaten?" I finished gently.

He flinched and narrowed his eyes as he considered me. "How much do you know Mai?"

I just looked at him. That was direct. Much more direct than I thought he would be or could be with me. I played dumb for a minute; I had no idea why he was asking anyway.

"About what Kurosaki? …I know that 2 + 2 = 4." His eyebrow twitched in irritation. "…That he that wants money, means, and content is without thee good friends…I know that my right shoulder is still killing me from last night…"

"Yes, well you shouldn't have rushed off so damn early in the morning." He reprimanded me as his eyes rolled. Good, he'd been knocked off course.

I lifted one side of my mouth. "I know."

"Why did you? …Run, I mean?" He added suddenly.

I sighed. "Being looked after makes me uncomfortable. And…" And Rukia was already suspicious enough about me as it was; I didn't want to add fuel to the inevitable fire.

"…And?" He insisted.

"_And_ I didn't want… I knew I'd sound crazy if I started going on about what I'd seen." I laughed in self-derision but he didn't do anything but look at me. "I mean I hit my head pretty hard!"

He didn't smile. "…Right."

Then he did a 180. "Wait… what was that thing you just said? That quote er…"

"…he that wants money, means, and content is without thee good friends?"

He nodded, interest seeping through him like a wave. I smiled fully this time.

"Yes, it was Shakespeare."

He raised a disbelieving brow. "_Shakespeare_."

I scratched my neck a little pink faced. "From a play: 'As you like it'."

He almost smirked. "Really? …Didn't know that." For some reason he sounded sort of…amused.

I stared at him. "Why are you smirking?" I felt like I was missing out on something.

He shook his head as he swallowed down what I assumed to be a laugh. "Nothing, really."

"THAT WAS SO INCREDIBLE! IT'S GOTTA BE SOME KIND OF A RECORD! I FEEL SO ALIVE! LET'S GO AGAIN!"

"NO!"

Straight away Kurosaki's face fell back into his ever suffering scowl as he slowly turned to observe the arguing trio as they walked towards us.

He doesn't really have a permanent scowl on his face… it's just hard lined; like he's practised at making it look that way. He probably took the time to sit stiffly on his bed for hours as he concentrated on making his face stay filled with attitude.

"Really, lifting your hands up in the air as you go around at ungodly speeds does not equal to any kind of a record!" Shouted Tatsuki at Keigo who wasn't even fazed.

"Oh yeah? Then how about the slinky trick? It lasted all the way down to the bottom! IT NEVER ONCE STOPPED! IT WAS STILL GOING WHEN WE GOT OFF!"

"_Again_, Sliding a slinky down a rollercoaster as we go round the tack does not equate to this level of noise so quit it!"

"And it starts…" Kurosaki muttered.

Keigo looked over at us and I gave a nervous smile.

"MAI'S HERE!" He cried.

And crashed into me.

"Well done numb-nuts." Said Tatsuki dully.

From the floor I looked up towards a frowning Kurosaki and groaned as I tried to gently shove the Keigo shaped lump off of my stomach. "He really does remind me of Pei…"

Tatsuki's foot appeared in my line of sight and kicked him off me; he rolled with a squeal on the floor.

"Pei?" Kurosaki asked as he held a hand out for me to grab.

I slipped my hand into his and allowed him to pull me up. "My cousin. I live with her."

Unsurprisingly he was more than capable of pulling me off the floor; he wasn't weak. At such a close proximity I could feel his energy flux from within him and it confused me. Having two different sensations running through the same system brought on a kind of derogatory effect. It felt like him: the epitome of power, but it also felt foreign and overlapped.

My fingers shook in his grip as I steadied myself and I saw his eyes flicker down towards our joined hands. Then my hand slid out of his, fingers brushing over solid knuckles and I saw him turn towards Keigo untroubled.

Electric jolts between two people were something I'd only read about in fiction novels so I didn't mention the slight shock that coursed between the palms of our hands. I looked down at my own and frowned.

I didn't see Kurosaki flex his hand as we moved towards a candy stall.

It wasn't long after this however, just five minutes that Kurosaki got kidnapped …by Kuchiki, and both disappeared like ghosts, no joke intended.

As soon as it happened Keigo had keened, afraid that he was missing out on something.

The whole thing had been uber quick; one minute Kurosaki was there talking to us about two minutes away from having a good time and the next a streak of black barged into his side and he was gone.

I'd stared in shock seconds before my face became stony and Tatsuki and Mizuiro started talking about how this had been happening a lot recently. So she, Keigo and Mizuiro had tried to cheer themselves up by dragging me away with them and wandering around the fair and failing miserably in their mission.

The night was going _swell_.

Approaching the closest food vendor to stock up on much needed sugar I heard a loud teary squeal. I whipped around and wasn't so surprised to find Keigo in the midst of some sort of seizure. I admit that I thought it wouldn't have taken this long for him to blow… I sighed.

I turned to watch this latest episode (admittedly Keigo was fascinating; I'd never met another human with his skewed understanding of how the world was supposed to function around him) and looked over to Tatsuki in the hopes of eliciting some information about what had set him off… I received a dull stare back. This depressing atmosphere needed to change.

Keigo's eyes were bulging. "This is so amazing we're out on a school night surrounded by beautiful lights, beautiful girls and _beautiful _possibilities just waiting to be explored! But more importantly…" He whirred on poor Tatsuki and pointed in accusation as if his wretched situation was all her fault. "WHY THE HELL DIDN'T ORIHIME COME? AND RUKIA! IN YUKATAS! WHY AREN'T THEY HERE WEARING BEAUTIFUL CLEAVAGE CREATING YUKATAS? WHY ARE WE JUST STUCK WITH _YOU_?"

He almost fell to his knees as he looked towards me near tears. "AND MAI! YOU LIVE AT AN ONSEN… _AND_ _YOU COULDN'T WEAR A YUKATA?_! ICHIGO! WHERE ART THOU?" He shrieked.

Already apparently too exposed to this kind of behaviour on a daily basis Tatsuki replied with an eye roll and a cynical sigh.

"Girls shouldn't wear yukatas to funfairs. It would be like an advertisement allure for creepy middle aged men. Or perverted, pathetic morons like you."

Said perv quieted suddenly and started moaning to himself. I shook my head and, carrying my coke cans began moving back towards the trio. Tatsuki appeared a little peeved. I looked back at the idiot mumbling and figured that it would take maybe another minute of this before she was hitting him… again. Like Chizuru, Keigo earned many of Tatsuki's punches and I know from personal experiences how hard they are.

"…no… no of _course_ you wouldn't like a yukata you being _a-sexual_ and all… but we teenage boys have needs! …Wouldn't have been _too_ bad since Ichigo agreed to come but then he up and vanished with Rukia the only REAL source of inspiration for male imagination around here. Whimper…_sigh_… probably on second base already-."

**_SMACK! _BASH!**

"OWWWW, TATSUKI WWHHHYYYY?"

Like I thought. I scratched the back of my neck wondering about what to do.

"Quit your perverted mumbling idiot we came here to have fun and since I was dragged all this way I'm going to have some. Oh and Ichigo…second base… heh…with Rukia? Ha! _Right_! The day Ichigo shows that he has the capacity for physical attraction and the balls to acknowledge said attraction is the day I kiss you Keigo. So basically…NEVER GOING TO HAPPEN!"

Somehow I doubted that whatever relationship Kuchiki and Kurosaki shared was even remotely romantic… it seemed too filled with a sense of righteous duty.

Keigo sulked at the floor. "Who'd wanna kiss _you_ anywaAYYYY NO _WAIT!_ I'M SORRY DON'T HIT ME AGAIN!"

"The idea of Ichigo in a relationship is pretty hilarious. _Especially_ with Rukia. But then again he's only fifteen, sixteen in a little over two months so he may change given time…a _lot_ of time", said Mizuiro still texting on his mobile.

"Yeah that's true I sup- oh thanks Mai." She said as I passed her a coke. "So what do you think Mai? About Ichigo, could he be romantic?" Tatsuki laughed at her own question.

I shrugged. "I have no opinion on the matter."

I just wanted to be given a chance to be his friend.

Keigo pushed himself up of the floor, glumly wondering about recent events. A look into his current psyche perhaps?

_Owwiieee, Tatsuki reeeaalllyy hurts. Does she always have to hit me so hard? I do ask for it though but I can't help it; if only she was a little more feminine…sigh…_

He looked at Mai… _I wonder if she has a sister. That would be so… hmmm…_

Onwards from that…

"You know…" I pondered. I channelled Pei, unsure of how they may react. "…since were all here… why don't we all go on a big ride binge, eat until we puke then… ride some more!" Random I know. "…We should at least enjoy ourselves… right?" I shrugged.

They all blinked at me; a little shocked for a moment. Then Tatsuki and Mizuiro split into almost identical happiness/slightly indulgent grins at my eagerness. Keigo looked like he was about to spontaneously combust with pleasure. Obviously I said something to make him very happy.

"Yes! This is what I'm talking about! We are all young and free and should be acting as such! Well done me!"

Tatsuki frowned. "Er… you're complimenting yourself?"

He nodded. "I am the Master! I made friends with someone whose brainwaves obviously sync with my own!" Suddenly he was beside me and putting an arm around my shoulder.

I sweatdropped. "I wouldn't put it that far." I muttered.

Tatsuki shoved some candy at him. "Here…have some candyfloss freakasuarus, wouldn't want to burn out of energy before the fun even started."

"I need all the energy I can get dealing with a misery like you!"

"WHAT DID YOU SAY?"

Mizuiro shook his head at Tatsuki. "You know giving him sugar is like asking for trouble." He said smirking.

I looked between the trio. "What is he, five years old?"

"More or less", was Mizuiro's reply.

He looked at me. "… Seriously though, can we really binge on the rides here? Enough for us to puke? There are many but not _that_ many."

I nodded seriously. "Oh yes. Where there's a will there's a way and I have a way. It all depends on the order in which we do this…"

Fun. That was the term. We actually had fun. Lots of it. And we obviously needed it too. We rode almost all the rides but left out the rollercoaster's until the end. The Waltz was hilarity waiting to happen. We all squeezed into one compartment- Mizuiro actually turned off his phone - I held tightly onto the handlebars and Tatsuki laughed at my concentrated expression. The last time I had been on one of these things I flew right out of my seat because instead of holding on and staying still I decided that waving my hands around whilst spinning at ungodly speeds was cool… I was rather stupid when I was a kid. Jihi still makes fun of that incident; one of the reasons why I would never want him to accompany me to a funfair ever again.

Of course Keigo decided to be even more of a pillock than I had been and decided that being 'cool' meant _standing_ as well as waving his arms around like an idiot whilst spinning. He almost died! Had I not been as quick as I was and, even weirder, stronger than most girls he would have flown out at high speed and hit the metal of the Waltz wall. Being the awesome palls Tatsuki and Mizuiro were, they kept a death grip on my jacket as I pulled Keigo back down to us as well as being forced into the seat myself by the speed at which we were spinning. It ended in Keigo being crushed into the side of the tiny compartment whilst the rest of us were laughing our asses off at him …and in the aftermath of shock at his incredibly dumb act.

His brain must be smaller than a pea.

Or at the very least his level of capacity for forethought into his own actions was limited.

So basically… he was a dumb Ass. But a dumb ass I found that made everyone laugh.

Of course afterwards I was profusely thanked and hailed once again a hero and we stopped to eat odangoes, hotdogs and fries. I sat in relative peace for a while listening to the laughter of kids on the faster rides and the jingle of the music from the slower ones.

It all came to a roaring halt when I glimpsed something dark and fast slide into my peripheral vision and just as speedily vanish.

My ears filled with a kind of white noise as the laughter and screams from the surrounding attractions ceased to mean anything to me.

The moment I turned my head to follow the supposed apparition another flickered to my right and disappeared just as quickly.

I kept looking into the shadows of the fairground only to catch a tangential glimpse of the humanoid forms of vanishing creatures. At each corner, around each attraction, near the food stalls just outside of the view of human eyes they moved at inhuman speed travelling in between the many bodies at the fair without disturbance.

From my stiff position on a bench I tried to locate the point of origin. Yet with the swiftness of their manoeuvrability I sometimes had to wonder if I was really seeing anything at all. Was it just inside my head? Why was I the only one?

And it was cold all of a sudden. I caught Tatsuki shiver once before pulling her thin jacket close around her. It was an abnormal chill… not created by nature but by intrusion of something… other.

"Hey guys lets move a little." Tatsuki muttered as she disposed of her trash. "It's getting chilly all of a sudden."

I nodded slowly and stepped to my feet keeping a sharp eye on my surroundings. We weren't alone.

"Merry-go-round!" Shouted Keigo.

Mizuiro raised an eyebrow sardonically. "Merry-go-round? Really Mr. Asano?"

"Come on, we haven't been on one yet!"

Merry-go-round?

Oh outstanding.

…Did I mention that I disliked merry-go-rounds? …Oh so very much.

They're creepy… ridiculously so, and that's not even talking about the music… In my mind I must have created some sort of symbol for them but… there was just something sinister about them. When I was younger, about seven years old, I used to think they were created to lure children into a realm that adults couldn't see. And when said children got on the ride they never came off and were never seen again…

Well… I did say I was an odd kid.

But the mind provides numerous ways of entertaining itself as well as scaring oneself or more specifically stupid children.

However I was still wary of them today even though my dumber than dumb reasoning was unfounded.

The ride was surprising popular since we had to actually cue for it. It was easier for me to ignore my unusual deductions about simple attractions when I kept seeing dark shadows all around me.

Eventually my eyes fell upon a gap in between two food vendors and saw, briefly, another dark shape. It was looking at me but it was blurred and it moved too suddenly for me to discern any detail. Almost straight afterwards a pair of school shoes walked into view and through the small space the boy looked at me too; dead in the eyes. The missing first year… the one who'd awakened me from a dead sleep in the clinic…

…He pressed a finger to his lips then used his hands to gesture towards me… to follow him.

There was a ping… I looked away from the boy to find that our turn on the dreaded ride was here. If I left my friends now to do some ghost searching of my own (if that really was what Kurosaki was doing) it would upset them. Besides I didn't have an excuse.

Feeling no better about the situation (and feeling increasingly on edge) I stepped towards the ride.

And then everything froze.

As if the dimension itself had been pushed to the limit somehow and simply couldn't take anymore as it lost its traction.

Like an old age camera shot. For a split second everything went black and white and everybody in the frame froze. Everyone but me.

That time in the dark side street on that night… it was exactly like that.

The black and white world.

And… you know the feeling you get when you _know_ you're in danger. The one that settles deep in your stomach. Like dread liquefied? Well I was feeling that. It was in my stomach and it spread to my spine, shooting up and around to my shoulders and back down my legs.

There was something here that shouldn't be. And it was insidious. _Everyone _was in danger. And I didn't know what it was or what to do about it.

I was being observed.

The area had a slightly burnt edge to its colouring. And there was silver…How was I even here anyway? I wasn't supposed to be here. And as if the universe was agreeing with me this happened next.

I felt _something_ move behind me and slowly exhale a breath across the back of my neck. It was hot yet it made me shiver. I wasn't by myself in two instances: physically and spiritually and I didn't know what that even meant. I had to put all my effort into moving my body around and facing said …_thing_. But as I did everything unfroze like nothing had happened and to everyone else nothing _had _happened.

_I_ was scared whit less.

And there was _nothing_ behind me!

You could say that my ability was like an internal light switch. It could activate on its own but I had to be prepared for a shock at what was revealed each and every time. It allowed me to 'see' and 'experience' the danger.

And boy did I feel it.

My head was clearer than it had ever been… no crazy blurriness, no pain or at least not just yet.

But I hummed internally.

And I was shivering.

I was pushed from behind where I'd stood solid for the past minute to see Keigo looking at me, smiling. The smile said 'everything's alright when you're having fun'! He practically dragged me over to a horse and carriage; my tongue tied in knots. I was the horse, he was the prince lording it over the carriage. The merry-go-round started and I was _still _in shock. My ridiculous fear of this ride seemed absolutely incomprehensible now after the world had stopped moving.

Every time the ride rounded another bend I caught a fleeting image of a dark creature in the trees or flashing through the crowds…

Those things… that feeling… it hadn't been human. It had been **other**. Something that could move through the 'layers' of the world. Something that shouldn't even be here in the first place. Well I did say Karakura had layers. Many layers.

And it nothing to do with hollows.

This is where my mind turned to mush. And stayed that way until my new, and now newly _freaked _out friends had to drag me off and away from the ride when it ended; all the while asking questions of concern while I stared into space with a glazed expression.

* * *

It wasn't very often that I felt compelled to start screaming "danger, danger, high voltage" to anyone who would listen but I was very close to trying to evacuate the entire area.

At the same time… there was a part of myself that didn't feel even remotely pressured to do anything at all. As if nothing was wrong. As if darkness was my bread and butter.

And there was a part of me that didn't think that Kurosaki would be of any help in this situation.

I'd felt a breath on my neck by something that hadn't actually been there at all.

Something had reached out to me.

My friends were currently playing on the stalls of assorted goodies and souvenirs but I needed to find the ghost of that boy; he knew what was going on.

Not long after this all four of us realised that the fair seemed to be slowly draining of people. I looked at my watch and realised with a thud that I had been out…having fun – minus time freezing moment of doom… with people I consider friends (big shock for my once socially inept self) for more than three hours…

It was 11:00pm. Cool.

Being as daft and clinically peculiar as Keigo Asano we _apparently_ had to end the night in triumph i.e. being able to brag at school about seeing ALL the attractions. This however meant seeing that we had to take part in the finale of the fair.

But of course… it WOULD be a FREAKING HAUNTED HOUSE.

Generally haunted houses suck but if the awesome fair was anything to go on it would be surprisingly good. And it was. You could tell from the outside it actually_ did _look frightful. Fantastic. Brilliant.

I _needed _to be scared shitless after being scared shitless.

Unfortunately… the ghost had gone towards the house too… Which meant I'd have to go in there anyway so I nodded reluctantly.

God I was on edge.

It didn't help that, in the distance I could hear a horrible howling noise, which I first suspected to be emanating from the haunted house (it _was _emitting some rather discouraging sounds). But I realised quite quickly that not only was it genuine, it probably wouldn't stop anytime soon.

The sound of yet another hollow.

And in my gut I knew that Kurosaki wouldn't be far behind.

Like all haunted houses the interior was pretty dark.

The walls told a story. Some kind of gruesome murder with the victim coming back to haunt you…quite literally if you went off the adorned and extremely yet bizarrely realistic ghost/corpse that appeared suddenly from a wall and tried to pull any innocent stragglers back into said wall. Hmmmm… Lovely.

There were stairs too covered in authentic spider webs and authentic spiders. Great.

Then of course there were the five different paths, several staircases, attic, dungeon, and basement of horror waiting for us innocents.

What a great way to get lost.

Oh and of course there was _still_ the howling of a Hollow outside just adding to the already amazingly taut atmosphere inside said haunted house. Delightful! _And_ encouraging!

I want to leave.

The feeling I'd had earlier, you know the one of dread? Well it had been easier to deal with outside the haunted house but inside…whole different story.

In the night I still couldn't find those creatures. Where are they? Had I actually witnessed them flitting through the park or was it some sort of secondary sight… thing… or something.

I knew the house was all fake but still I felt like I was in danger and the feeling of exposure only grows when your friends run off and disappear mere seconds after entering the place.

I pushed out my… whatever it was (I didn't really know what it was)… ability. My inner eye or so to speak. I looked around the dark room across the walls and floor and saw…

Absolutely nothing.

…Bit of a let down really.

But I didn't turn it off. Something still didn't feel right.

The air seemed… foul to me.

I continued up a flight of stairs to my left and saw distantly the aura's of my friends or rather the echoes of their presence. Like residual energies.

I was surprised by Tatsuki's residual signature. Unlike the others it fluctuated from the normal energy I see in most people to something a little…_more_. It was like the energy itself couldn't decide on its own level of power. Like it was alive. Which it might be.

Just because I could see auras didn't mean I understood really what they are.

I ascended the stairs. My friends had gone down but I went up furthering the distance between us. Stupid maybe but I was being drawn upwards.

As I reached the landing I turned left and screamed for all I was worth.

Not like anyone would come running in a haunted house but one's gotta hope.

Yet again I was being an idiot but ghosts are _silent_ after all.

And I hadn't quite expected to see my vision in person, even though I'd searched for him. He stood before me and he looked tired.

But also relieved; confirmation that he really had been waiting for me.

"You came."

Bingo.

"Did you… did you bring me here?" I asked carefully; remembering the feeling of being drawn here.

"You could say that… but I didn't _really_ do anything… I just _am_ and you are just _you_…so…there." He frowned at his own statement. Then he looked at me, my own frown descending, and smiled sheepishly.

"…_Right…_ not exactly helpful."

He laughed a little miserably. "…I know. I just don't know how to explain." He looked at me again with those dulled eyes. "It's… it's like you're a signal flare. So much light…" He trailed of in a whisper.

I'd found _this_ guy scary?

"I still don't understand what you're talking about."

"I was sent to you." He said resignedly. "You're like a beacon you know."

I frowned. "Beacon?"

He nodded. "You're like pure light…It hasn't been noticed before because you've been blocking it, but your energy… It's unlike anything that's been seen by the living _or _the dead in the past millennia."

He continued as he looked at me seriously. "You're energy…it's attractive… it IS attracting people, creatures and well," he gestured to himself, "ghosts too. But it's so different from anything else… different from humans, different from ghosts and soul reapers alike, different from any creature known to man it's-"

"Why did you appear in my room last night?" I interrupted. "Well, the Kurosaki clinic room." I elaborated. Yeah, _that's_ what I focus on?

He blinked. "Kurosaki…"He muttered. Then he looked down. "I had no control over that."

"What do you mean?"

"Precisely that." He shrugged depressed. "I don't understand it myself. It was like I was… between."

I frowned and backed up. "What do you mean I'm different to humans? I _am_ human." I said quietly.

"I don't know the specifics." He looked weary again and sad which made me feel unaccountably worse. He was 15… and he was dead.

I closed my eyes and sighed. "OK, I know how hard my own abilities must be to explain… I'm an odd one."

"Yes you are." He said unashamedly quick. "It isn't reitsu for one thing… "

Reitsu?

A sound made its way over the fake noise of the haunted house. A roar. I'd forgotten for a moment that we were in a haunted house and that sooner or later my friends- ah friends… I have friends again- would come looking for me. He: the ghost was thinking along similar lines.

"Listen I don't have much time. It's dangerous enough for me here as it is at the moment," the howling started again outside, only much closer than before and for a moment a panicked expression crossed his features before continuing.

That I could understand completely. "…But I _was_ asked to warn you. Don't ask me who because well…I don't _know_ who asked me… I just died and when I came to, as a ghost, I knew that I was supposed to find you. And I'm not the only one asked, just…the only one… who was able to get to you."

I didn't like the sound of that ominous ending. Others, ghosts had been asked to find me but only _he_ managed it. What happened to the others? And why the emergency? I didn't know what to say first yet so I stayed quiet to hear the rest.

Then I remembered the woman I saw on my second day in Karakura. The drowning victim (I'd researched her later) had tried to reach me too but she'd been pulled away before she could do anything.

"Things are beginning to change and move in Karakura. And from what I can feel whilst being… you know… dead, things are beginning to change everywhere with Karakura being at its epicentre. You're apart of the change. And you're going to be put through the ringer if I do say so myself." He shifted hesitantly for a moment. "…There are people here, in the places even you can't venture yet who are watching you and waiting for the right moment. You're being called to… and I think you know now that I'm telling the truth so… DON'T LOOK AT ME LIKE THAT! I'M JUST THE MESSENGER O.K.?"

How was I looking at him? …Like he was talking to the wrong person maybe. That he was insane maybe, that I was just a heap of broken memories and dark recesses? Who'd want me to take up any sort of mantle?

But…

There really was something funny (I'm fed up with saying strange) with Karakura. I knew that the very day I landed here and I _knew _it when I went to school.

I knew it when the world suddenly stopped an hour ago.

"There's been a crack."

I opened my eyes in a snap. That sounded eerily familiar. I'd dreamed of cracks in an area of _unfamiliar_ surroundings… somewhere in the layers.

I looked at him. "I know."

He paused and then let it go.

He looked up again and clicked his fingers. "Yes erm… sorry…not quite finished yet I'm afraid." He finished lamely. I cocked an eyebrow in question.

"I need a favour."

"What kind of favour?" This seemed a little anticlimactic after that explanation but we weren't going anywhere.

"I was murdered." He paused and I sucked in a breath. I already knew this but to hear it from the victim… it made me sad…

And not so surprisingly, angry. Where was the fairness here? Heh, there wasn't any.

Then I wondered why this guy hadn't gone to Kurosaki for help instead.

"My body was never found. But I know where it is… I need your help… but it'll be pretty gruesome." He tried to smile and failed. "My parents need closure." This he said quietly like he needed to give me more motivation. How asinine.

And then I shivered, again.

"It's here isn't it?" I whispered. I don't know why I did but I felt like it was necessary; as though the walls had ears. I knew a body had been here when he started talking to me. I could feel its residual energy; surprisingly potent for one so young and… dead. It was in the room behind him. But I hadn't known it was his until I assessed its energy in relation to his spirit. Why was the body _here_ of all places?

"It's ten metres in front of you, behind me."

I frowned. "I know." How?

He hesitated for a moment. "…There's something else in there too… with my body."

…_Excuse _me_?_

"It's part of the escalation I was talking about… well…" He stepped aside. "For you it starts here."

I looked at him like he was deranged. Or I was. Was I seriously going to go on my own, through the door to the pitch black attic, to find a mutilated (from the state of the ghost and a week's worth of decomposition) body and… _something else? _Why did I get the really nasty feeling that whatever this _something else _was, it was both unfriendly and was also _possibly_ related to the _thing _that breathed on me and made my body react so far into fear that my ability went mad.

Oh the universe just _loved_ me.

I took a step forward.

"Don't be too afraid." He said "That will only make _**it **_stronger."

Oh just… bloody… marvellous.

I was so far beyond scared I couldn't feel anything. Just numbness. My heart beating a million miles a minute. And yet I _knew _I had to go in there. Because I could still feel that feeling. The feeling of being drawn in both physically and spiritually. Like curiosity. The feeling that I had to do _something_.

I could just sense the room in front of me. It was almost literally vibrating from anticipation. It was waiting for my entry. Whatever was in there was waiting. And I was going in.

Plus my body… the cells inside me were pulsating. It was all I could do to keep from running into the room like a Blitzer.

"You're name? It's Seigi Aisega isn't it?" I asked quietly, my hand on the doorknob.

He tilted his head to the side. "Yeah, I heard you were good with names." Wonder where he heard that? "Good luck."

Yeah, because curiosity killed the cat.


	5. Into the Black and Out like a Light

Disclaimer: Nope, don't own a thing... sob.

**So, hey! ...I...got...FEEDBACK!**

**I can't tell you how awesome it feels to recieve positive reinforcement for the stuff I write.**

**HarunoMarina: You were right. I couldn't believe I left out the whole Yuichi name thing. Hopefully I won't make another mistake like this one. I suppose I just took it for granted that everyone would understand. Again sorry but I'm happy you enjoyed it nontheless. Also, yes I do try to keep the characters in character otherwise... what would be the point in plot changes. I always found it interesting in other fanfics when something bold would happen in the story and the canon characters had to react to it in such a believeable way. And I try to not make my oc a mary-sue. I only just found out what that actually means by the way (I'm so behind!). My character has tonnes of faults, trust me she's far from perfect but then again everyone's definition of perfect varies.**

**Mari23: Yes, I too love dramatic moments in fanfics. Hopefully this one will be full of them. And the Bleach storyline will change into the whole; "No way did that just happen - but it did!" stuff.**

**Shaybo27: You're review made blush. Seriously. I had not idea anyone could like the things I've written. Thanks! I too love OC stories but it's rare to find any good ones, don't get me wrong there a few but not enough in my opinion. Unfortunately for you I'm not thinking about pairings... yet. I like to build deep connections with particular characters in stories such as these. It isn't always necessary but in this case (at least between Ichigo and Mai) it definately is. You'll figure out why sooner or later. You see Ichigo is somewhat... repressed. For him to like someone, romantically, it would have to come slowly before eventually giving him a swift subconcious kick before freefalling back to reality. Then when he comes out of his coma he'd eventually realise that he too has the capability for romantic attachment. I think if Tite Kubo ever drew him in a relationship Ichigo would be incredably warm, subtly affectionate and sensually intense. As such these things take time. Plus Mai has some pretty serious issues. And... there's just no way that I'm explaining what Mai is in this next chapter! Silly you. It's a big deal; integral to the story and to other characters. It will be explained bit by bit otherwise it would be equivalent to information overload. And finally, thank you for picking up on the whole original relationship stuff. I wanted Mai to have her own thoughts on the people around her; how they'd change her and vice versa. The more minor characters will have roles to play in the future too. Geez, I really did go on didn't I? Sorry... I'm just a happy chappie... and I actually hate chappy.**

**Hyourin-Kusabana: Thank you, thank you, thank you! Always great to have support.**

**I actually finished writing this chapter just a minute ago so I havn't checked for possible mistakes. The reason for this is because both my needy nephew and incredably loud niece are coming up and I have no time in the foreseable future to release this other than now. I do love them though; they're incredably adorable and talented and sweet etc.**

**Adios amigos!**

Chapter 4:

**Into the Black…and Out Like a Light**

Stepping into the room the smell of damp wood and dust hit me. The door closed quietly like a death sentence.

"…Be careful Mai, this is the part where the big axe wielding psycho comes out of the dark with a hockey mask…" I whispered to myself.

The hackneyed stereotype did nothing to lighten the atmosphere.

The room was pitch black, darker than the rest of the house. There were no eerie Halloween lights or candles to lighten it up.

I felt surrounded.

As if there was something or someone standing in front of me, behind me, next to me in the black…

If I concentrated hard enough I could swear I heard shallow breathing.

Also unlike the rest of the house was the temperature. It was freezing; my breath rose in vivid silvery mists.

Then there was the smell; sweetly putrid and bloody rotten. I gagged in surprise. It wasn't really that bad but I'd never actually smelt a decomposing body before.

Then it dawned on me.

I was alone, in a pitch black room with a corpse.

Hit by a wave of irrational fear, images of zombiefied bodies slowly crawled towards me and lashed out at my ankles. I made to move backwards before it dawned on me how silly I was behaving.

Wait… right, take a deep breath, hold it, exhale, and calm down.

A body is just a body; dead or alive.

It shouldn't be _that_ that I _should _be worrying about anyway.

Less concentrated than before it may be but the dread coursing through me spoke of another presence in the room.

And it felt curious… frighteningly controlled and hostile.

**It** was _curious_? Of me? Why?

Now matter how hard I strained my eyes or tried to reach out with my senses I couldn't pinpoint **its** location in the room; the _whole_ room felt saturated in **its **presence.

…But I knew where the body was.

At the far end of the room there was some loose floorboards and cardboard cut-outs; probably something to be used in the fair. These were stacked at the side and behind them was Seigi's body. I could see the lingering traces energy flickering and dying; his life energy gone, his spiritual trace near depleted.

The **presence **in the room was watching me.

Feeling chained by it I wiped my palms on the thighs of my pants and moved one step forwards.

And with a rush of air **it** moved with me. I took another step. And another. The closer I got to Seigi's body the more agitated **it **seemed to become.

God, what was I doing? Should I even be here? Had he chosen the wrong person?

A shuffling, scuttling sound echoed across the walls.

I swallowed.

Seigi did tell me to not be overly fearful as it would only increase the strength of whatever was in the room with me. But it was awfully difficult to not be afraid when feeling like I had walked into a nest of ravenous cannibals and conscienceless creatures. Strange though that the presence hadn't tried anything seeing as how I was practically helpless. I was sensitive to the waves of the malicious unknown emanating from around me.

I remember Seigi also saying that I 'glowed' and that the 'scent' of it was different from… _everything_ else. I was an unknown commodity then.

Did **it** find me as threatening as I found them? …How absurd.

Well he was right about one thing… my body was firing off some pretty lively sparks in my peripheral.

Either way I was in a death trap. If I tried to run **they** would kill me, I could feel it. But if I stayed here any longer I would also die.

So I moved closer to the body, the floorboards were propped right in front of me. Ignoring the pool of anxiety that my stomach was churning or the thumping in my chest I ripped the floorboards away from the wall and across the room in one swift movement. Maybe adrenaline was messing with me again but I wasn't focusing on that at the moment. I was looking at the body.

And the body. Looked. Back.

Letting out a yell I stumbled back and that's when noise erupted all around me.

Shrieks and growls, haggard breaths and groans…

I could see the black of the shadows moving everywhere; I definitely wasn't by myself. How many were there?

Panicked I whipped to look back at the seated corpse. It was still staring at me and yet it didn't really see me at all. It contorted and convulsed on the floor, changing shape and colour; from light pink, decaying skin to a darker unnatural hue. Somehow I knew it would end in black. Gruesome black skin like the other black skin **thing** currently gripping the wall with **its** _claws_ behind the changing body. The one that was also staring at me… _hungry_; but this one was fully formed.

And human sized.

Dead, dirty red and glowing yellow eyes scorched holes into mine and small but sharp black teeth were revealed followed by a quiet guttural growl. Though **it** was squatting I could tell that **its** body was wiry and instinct told me **it** was _very _strong. As in stronger than human. Superhuman.

…**Yokai.**

Shit.

…**Demon.**

Like the thing in the dark street that had been hunting… for its human prey.

_Double Shit._

Get out…

My moment of pause worked against me as the corpse on the floor suddenly stood up straight. For one hair raising moment it just looked at me.

Then something in it seemed to give and it lunged forwards towards me roaring in my face with inhuman features.

_Get out now Mai! _

Wide eyed I spun round and blitzed across the room before I could even register the speed in which I moved. I already had the door open when the rest of them reacted. They were probably pretty shocked at my response time. I would have been too if I weren't currently running for the hills.

…Because the room had been filled with **them** as I'd taken a _leisurely_ stroll through it.

There was no time to take out my mobile. Besides whom could I call for help?

I didn't hear the footsteps as I was hit first in the lower back. I flew towards the floor landing hard on my knees as it rolled to the side after trouncing me. I looked it in the eyes for a moment; Seigi's body, and pushed up just in time to witness a horde of them burst through the door with single minded intent. Screeching into the night they shoved me into the hallway and painfully up against a wall.

Horrified and trying to move my breathing turned rapid, dark thoughts swirling within my terror. This was so very different to the incident with the Hollow. I was pulled in all directions, claws ripped at my clothes shredding skin. My mind felt pulled towards darkness and as the pain became more than noticeable I gave over to the instincts that were screaming in my ear.

_Eliminate_.

And my body responded wonderfully.

…Too wonderfully.

With a snarl I pushed off the wall behind me and rammed them _all _backdown a hall leading to the stairs. It was like hitting granite. Grabbing the grotesque head of the mutated Seigi I smashed it into the wall with strength I didn't know I had, watching absently as it burst upon impact, spitting blood on my hands and clothes.

I did the same many times over. My elbows drove into the hollows under shoulders and the vertebrae between shoulder blades. Tense fingers tore at dark skin, snapping the bones in arms and breaking tendons, ripping away at the danger. I slammed down against the ground, falling to the floor in an effort to take out the one behind me all the while pulling two more with me and battering them against each other as we rolled.

Martial Arts holding hands with simple brutality.

Throwing the two lifeless yokai away from me I got back up to have one of them fly at me and shove their claws deep into my right leg. I shrieked in pain. And then, with a racing heartbeat and seeing red I quickly bent over the creature, seized it by the legs, pulled and catapulted it as hard as I could across the landing in front of the stairs. It squawked pitifully as it hit the wall opposite… _and went right through to the other side_ _of the haunted house_!

_What the…!_

…How did I…? There's just no way I…

Sparing an unhurried glance down at my bloodied hands I watched the tinted glow on them fade bringing back the gloom once again in the hall.

Panting I gazed up and down the dark corridor; my breaths the only sound to hear. On the floor I saw that where I'd fallen just seconds ago where now broken slats of wood. True it wasn't English oak but I shouldn't have been able to do that… I shouldn't have been able to do _any_ of it, not without serious injury. But I felt fine. Sore but fine. Even my leg wound felt superficial though I know my muscles were damaged.

I was shaking.

And I was alone. I'd killed them all. The one I'd thrown (God, I'd _thrown_ a man-sized demon) had been the last. Their bodies had kind of… _melted_ quickly afterwards too leaving only a small amount of evidence of them having ever been there.

Well… _fuck._

Proof of how truly screwed up the situation was: I don't swear. Well, not much. It just never occurred to me to. I was exhausted, covered in blood and had no idea how I was going to explain this when my friends saw me… soon to be ex-friends when they see me like _this_. My actions had been so… surreal, my response quick and efficient… as though I kicked demon ass all the time. I looked down and a nervous giggle forced its way through my mouth. My clothes were torn to shreds and I was injured but I still felt numb with shock.

Breathing deeply again I pushed my hair out of my eyes and made my way forward…

…just in time for a gigantic white arm to slash through the side of the building!

You have got to be sodding pulling my leg.

A hollow? Now?

_Really? _REALLY?

The massive white arm pulled back and ripped off the side of the building causing the floor I was stood on to shake. A triangular shaped head turned its body and looked around…and then took a stroll inside mere feet away from me. Strangely enough the floor beneath its large feet didn't bevel. The Hollow was looking for something.

Oh please don't be looking for me. Not now. Not after all that.

Slowly I backed up against the wall and slid down it as I descended the barely existing stairs. Staying calm, eyes stupidly closed I tried not to trip. Seeing energy waves and fluxes on top of yokai and Hollows felt too much to deal with in one sitting; it hurt too much for some reason. I tried to close myself off to the output but it wouldn't let me. It was too hard. Everything; auras and all kept flickering in and out of focus as if it was fighting for release.

My own aura was oscillating; fluctuating in various insane rhythms that I could barely contain. Last time this had happened I swore I'd knocked Jihi into the wall across my room.

The Hollow definitely wasn't looking for me; was it looking for Seigi? I didn't see him when I hurtled out of the attic.

And where, oh where was Kurosaki?

He'd done something to that hollow the other day and had made it go away. Couldn't he come and do the same thing now whatever it may be? And if he couldn't, could he at least teach me how to do it?

I made it to the bottom of the staircase with my eyes firmly closed when I heard a _tap tap tap _sound resounding throughout the hallway and repeating on the floor… getting louder… coming closer. Footsteps were incoming and fast. I turned slightly and…

…For a moment all I saw, all I _felt,_ was…

Robes?

Black ones. Maybe some kind of kimono? And a feeling…

I was knocked to the floor on my bad leg and this time I felt the stinging pain that shot down towards my toes. From the fluctuations in the air I was sure there was more than one person that I didn't look to see.

There was a crashing sound as the stairs behind me gave way and I moved just in time to avoid the debris …but unfortunately came too close to the back wall that exploded right by the side of my head slamming me back down to the ground.

The wind knocked out of me, I opened my eyes and glanced around… and my jaw systematically hit the floor…

Kurosaki…?

I'd looked just in time to see a shock of orange hair run to slash at the neck of a Hollow I hadn't seen earlier. He moved swiftly in front of me, tawny brown eyes glancing at me anxiously along the way as he blocked an attack before slicing right through the skull of the apparition. I brushed debris out of my line of vision as I tried to focus past my blurring eyes. Heran further forward and faced the broken stairs were there was yet _another _white monster.

"What the hell? You guys just keep on coming!"

_Ichigo _Kurosaki?

He… was here? And he looked like an Edo era samurai…

He was… he… _what_?

I didn't have much time to deliberate on my shock however because as soon as I looked at him, I mean _really _looked at him, at his _back_, pain hit me.

Masses of pain.

It pushed at my insides, and my eyes…they were burning away at the corneas.

Kurosaki's aura… it was burning me alive.

I choked on a breath as my eyes refused to close.

It was so bright. Too bright, and it was awesome in its magnificence. The state at which I'd perceived it to be while he was… _him_ and not a… _soul_ didn't do what he _really_ was any justice at all. Without the shell and skin of his body he had _nothing_ to hold back such a force.

Power rolled off him in waves that slammed into me over and _over_ again. I forced myself to watch them as they descended on the surrounding area and saw that his energy affected everything it touched. I wondered vaguely if that also meant it affected people.

…It was almost too much to bear; internally I agonizingly pulsated as his energy played havoc with my own. It was like my energy was straining to reach his, ripping a way out from inside my blood cells.

Whatever Kurosaki was he seemed to know what he was doing and could obviously handle himself well so I fought with all my might to not worry about that… or to distract him by shouting out. He had a super large sword…

My lungs closed up… and then opened again.

I needed to get out of here before I imploded. It really did feel as though I was going to blow up. Like an exaggerated version of how I felt when I fainted in the vestibule of Chiyu's Onsen. And I didn't want to put Kurosaki in the crossfire of any kind of danger from myself.

While he was preoccupied; it looked like he was currently oblivious to my presence anyway, I forced myself into a crawl/roll to the door or rather the hole leading to the back of the haunted house. It was supremely difficult; my body chose _now_ of all times to seize up. I bit back screams as my bones cracked with my every move.

Something inside me was changing… fighting for transformation

The build up of subsequent energy was far more than my body could handle. And Kurosaki's power was fuelling it. It wouldn't stop…

"…S-stop… please s-top…"

I just wish I could move my eyes off him; I felt hypnotised. They must be melting by now…

The blood in my veins felt like liquid fire.

I watched as his head turned to the right whilst dodging a blow from white dude number four or five.

"Rukia what the hell's going on? Why are there so many?" The noise surrounding us from the fighting was loud and chaotic.

A lithe figure landed near him from the roof and shouted back.

"They were drawn here by something! Ichi-"

The girl dodged as a large claw swiped at her.

Kurosaki sliced and diced it.

When he landed I swear I caught a glimpse of him looking around. I missed whatever he did next as I rounded the corner of the hole.

"Rukia, where's Mai? She was right there!"

That's when the first explosion happened. A colourless wave blasted out of me and everything within a five metre radius was flung back. Negligently I saw a trash can fly into the air; litter spreading everywhere. But it wasn't enough yet I realised…

Another was building _even stronger_ than the last and it exploded out of me mere seconds after the first. The large house creaked and whined; the force was weakening the infrastructure.

"…mnf… g-god… I…" With gritted teeth I managed to roll again… one last massive roll that kept me going to around the corner of the crumbling house were I finally came to a stop. It was all I could do as power; this time equalling the obvious powerhouse that is Kurosaki, began to tear its way out from inside me.

"Hey did you feel that just now?"

Absolute tidal wave of pure force erupted from me silencing the male voice inside the house and eradicating the west side of the building. I figured by now that the energy was like a physical force. The event caused a chain reaction as each room collapsed one by one to the ground in loud bangs. Some debris fell on me too. Nothing could be seen in the resulting dust cloud but everything could be heard.

"Jesus! What was that?"

"Ichigo we need to move NOW!"

"But that blast… and Mai, we need to find Mai!"

"I KNOW! BUT CAN'T YOU FEEL IT? It's coming again stronger this time!"

Oh she was _definitely_ right about that…

"Whatever it is we have to move! Fast! Before were killed!"

"_Alright _already!"

I felt like I couldn't breathe. The final surge was coming… And it was killing me. I was lying there contorted and shaking violently, drenched in a cold sweat. My eyes wide and shocked, it wouldn't be long before I couldn't hold back the scream of agony that was threatening to break through my locked jaw.

I had just a few seconds to process everything. But I realised something before I nuked…

…I'd felt like this once before.

My body convulsed and the scream I'd bottled tore through my lips. I felt like each and every cell in my body had been stretched and their integrity altered. Bright light burst out from my core, from everywhere; even my mouth and eyes.

The remaining pieces of the haunted house were completely obliterated and the few stalls close by were blasted to the other end of the fair yard; rendered forever useless. One good piece of luck was that there had been no people close to me… but I couldn't think… there was only pain… and all I could see was white.

It ended in a fifty metre wide crater; though it wasn't very deep.

The shockwave however had reached the outskirts of the fairground disabling rides and electricity circuits shrouding the fair in the natural light of the night.

And then there was silence.

…

Everything was indiscernible. A blur of smoke and dust hovered over the area.

The entirety of my being was completely exhausted. Shouts started in the distance and I knew that bedlam would soon ensue. But it didn't occur to me to care or move or to say a word. My thought process had shut down and all I wanted to do was fade away…

As I started to fall into darkness I heard the gentle tap of wooden clogs across turned soil… and a cool hand brushed the hair off my forehead… and said everything would be fine.

I prayed the voice was right.

* * *

**A little While Later**

"How was I supposed to know the whole thing would cave down on us?"

"If you had taken just one second to _think_ Ichigo, like I _told you to_, none of this would have happened!"

"AH! So what are you saying? That this is _my_ fault?"

"You went ahead of me like an idiot! THE SHOE FITS!"

"Wah! –YOU'RE THE ONE WHO TOLD US TO RUN AWAY!"

"WHAT, DID YOU WANT TO GET CAUGHT UP IN THAT?"

Rukia pointed her dainty index finger sharply across the field at the blast zone.

Heh… blast radius. It _had_ felt somewhat like a bomb, except one that hadn't harmed a soul… literally.

He gritted his teeth. "Look Rukia, obviously I didn't _want_ to get caught in that… so instead we just thought of the _shamefully_ _brilliant_ plan to RUN AWAY AND LEAVE MAI IN THERE ALONE?"

"WE DON'T EVEN KNOW IF SHE WAS THERE ICHIGO!" Rukia shouted back.

"BUT SHE _COULD_ HAVE BEEN RUKIA!" The words rang out over the field.

His heated eyes softened as he quieted. "…She was close when… whatever _that_ was went off… and we just _left_ her there. She could be hurt and we can't even find her." He laughed humourlessly at himself. "Some guardian I turned out to be."

Rukia watched as he turned to stare in the direction of the previously standing haunted house. Her eyes rounded with compassion at his words. "Ichigo… this wasn't your fault." They may argue 90% of the time but… even she could see the hero hidden under layers of adolescent baggage.

Before he could think of the perfect rebuttal he heard a groan from the floor behind him. There, lying prone on the soft grass were his friends; Tatsuki, Mizuiro and Keigo. A hollow had managed to batter them away from the Haunted House and unusually enough completely ignore them afterwards.

Rukia sighed and walked over to the trio. She'd already administered the Memory Chikan; they were just a little bruised, Keigo muttering in his sleep as per usual.

Ichigo's eyes didn't stray from the southern area of the field. Police sirens could be heard from a few blocks away and he wondered briefly if something else had happened during all the chaos.

It wasn't as if any of this was his fault or Rukia's but…

He'd let Rukia drag him away from there.

When the astounding sight had blown over they'd rushed back to find Mai but she was nowhere in sight. He couldn't sense her anywhere near the field. Almost immediately afterwards they'd started to argue as they looked over the rest of his friends.

It had left him with a hell of a lot of questions and one huge insight.

Why the hell had she been there, _alone_ in the first place?

He'd seen her briefly amidst the bedlam in the House; she'd been too busy shifting rubble away from her legs to notice him; if she could see him at all that is. He desperately wanted to test that theory; he could have sworn she glanced at him.

But the moment his back had turned he'd been swamped by Hollows to the left and to the right of him. And he'd lost sight of his friend.

She hadn't been killed in the blast. Hurt possibly, but definitely not dead. He _knew_ that… he knew it because…

…Because he was almost completely certain that it had something to do with Mai anyway.

It had… felt like her.

Even now he couldn't contemplate on it or spend his time worrying incessantly; he couldn't look for her at all… because there were still Hollows roaming free around the site. Funnily enough they hadn't stepped close to the area since the explosion and Ichigo hadn't been able to find the little ghost girl Sen either. The parameter around the site felt charged.

"Ichigo, come on, there's more of them up ahead!"

His eyes closed briefly in frustration and he turned away from the scene of the wreckage. He definitely wasn't getting any sleep tonight.

* * *

**Mai**

I've been unconscious before in my life but this was different. It was… a little strange. Unlike normal sleep I didn't feel like I was rejuvenating. I felt like I was in some kind of stasis; pulled into an area of existence that was completely… _in-between_.

I was dead to the world but in a part of my being; deep in my core I was awake. Observing… I didn't know _where _I was but I _was_ _**somewhere**_. I didn't understand my surroundings.

But I was there. In the void surrounded by… life. And death. And eternity. Creation and existence. Knowledge. Here you weren't alone but without understanding there was only darkness.

In the black I stayed buried.

But after a time, which could have been a lifetime for all I knew – time didn't exist here; at least not in the way we know it to - something began to change.

The black started to vibrate; ripples rolled through the spacearound me.

The vibrations turned violent and seemed to escalate before I was hit hard by an image that rammed into focus for a second before dissipating. A second one hit right after the first… and then a third, a fourth, a fifth; faster and faster they hit me, over and over; some all at once! Dozens of them! They were in black and white as though my brain had trouble filtering the information.

They told a story. I was given a peak into an old age war and new aged threat.

The final image was clearest and it stood perfectly still. I could _feel _the resounding white noise all around me… _smell_ the cries that scorched the air…I could _see_ the stench of destruction and _hear_ each touch of skin on stone and heated metal…

…There were pillars… and gates… symbols and realms, pathways created from choices…

Blood in fire… earth and air tilted…

White turned to black, black to white…

All turned to chaos.

And there was the crack, like a fissure in the fabric of space and time concealed behind this field of war… drenched in blood and reaching for a voice.

…_Wake up Mai…_

The image flashed and flickered before it collapsed in on itself.

And the details of the image were ripped away from me.

…_**Wake up…**_

I could feel heat. My body was warm and I could vaguely feel fabric covering me.

…_**You need to wake up…**_

My consciousness was streaming back all at once. My fingers jerked.

…**It has already begun… **

* * *

I was back in my body. Awareness flooded my system; every single cell felt awake and alive.

My eyes snapped open and for the second time looked up at a ceiling I didn't recognise. I tried to get up but my body felt so sore. I ached. Why did I ache? I felt like I'd been on a run… the kind you go on the night before when you're not used to running and then the next day your legs feel like lead weights – lead weights on fire. Well that was how every muscle in my body felt.

Where was I?

My conscious self flooded with memories of the night's escapade. I'd _nuked_ myself… accidentally of course… well it wasn't on purpose!

I'd had no control over _anything_ last night; it had been completely out of my hands. That explained the soreness I suppose. Taking a breath I could feel my body; it was whole and quite well considering I thought I'd involuntarily ripped myself apart.

At the very least my vision was no longer a fuzzy variation of various different auras. For the first time in about two weeks my mind felt almost unbearably… clear and… right.

"Well if it isn't sleeping beauty!"

"GAH, WHAT THE…?"

He'd just _appeared_ to my left; beyond him an open door. I must have been really out of it if I didn't notice him. He was _three inches_ from my left earlobe.

"Sorry, didn't mean to startle you!" Sure he didn't. He looked quite amused.

I took a good, wide eyed look at him as he moved from beside me to sit a few feet in front of me. He wore a green kimono like outfit: green pants and a green kimono wrap loosely tied to see his collarbone. He was pretty well built. He also wore a green and white stripped hat, low over his eyes casting shadows and clogs that he seemed pretty used to wearing. His overall demeanour was relaxed giving the outward appearance of complete and total calm.

Appearances are deceptive however.

He sat there staring at me, looking me over as if he were searching for something. Then his eyes came back to my face.

"You've had quite the surprising night. Did you sleep well?"

Why was I here? …I don't _think_ he's a doctor. And he asked the question in such a manner as to imply that I'd suffered through a small accident instead of what had actually happened; that I'd exploded. He _must_ have known what had truly happened…

And yet he just sat there, or rather leaned back on his hind legs dangling what looked like an unfurled fan between his fingers. I remembered that he'd asked a question and was waiting with the patience of a saint for my reply. He probably figured how discombobulated I was.

"Er… I… uh, slept like a rock actually." My quiet reply. "Who are _you_? And… where am I?"

It hit me that I should have felt vulnerable being with a total stranger but… I wasn't.

This man would not hurt me. I didn't even know what he was like or anything; he could have been anybody. But there was no hostility in him (at least at the moment) or in his aura.

My eyes were trying to adjust to the pressure of _stronger_ energy; his aura was… _incredible._ I couldn't really see it and it looked to be covered but its nature was just…

He smiled. "My apologies! I should have introduced myself first! I was just a little sidetracked a-hem…"

He unfurled his fan and used it cover half his face… _why_ I don't know.

"My name is Kisuke Urahara and this is my shop you're currently holed up in! I found your school ID in your purse by the way. Mai Li… nice to meet you." He said cheerfully.

If he'd added the word 'finally' to the end of that sentence it wouldn't have felt out of place.

I was in his shop?

Another night or morning where I've woken up in a stranger's home. I felt a pattern emerging.

I vaguely wondered what kind of shop this guy had when he lost all frivolity to his voice and said, eyes shadowed but calm. "You were pretty exhausted when we found you last night… Do you remember?"

The memory of a hand brushing my forehead and a gentle voice reassuring me that everything was fine.

Oh, that was him?

So he _had_ seen me last night.

For a moment I wondered why he wasn't handing me into the police or something equally as dramatic. Last night he'd been kind. From what I could recall before the blackness hit understanding had rolled off of him in emission.

Even now I could tell he didn't see me as a threat and rather than it being a hit to my pride it made me feel safe. But why had he moved me, probably before anybody had seen me through the dust cloud. Just who is this guy?

…Whoa, I'd blown up… scary thought. Now that it was over I no longer felt so sandwiched between emotions and physical feelings like I had been these past few weeks.

I put a great deal of effort in trying to sit up, _Christ_ it hurt. Urahara's hand was reached out to help but I shook my head giving a small smile. His hand fell down and he went back to watching me, still patient and… observant? No he wasn't an enemy.

But he was curious. Insanely so.

He'd taken me from the ruins of my _accident_ and taken care of me. He'd been _kind_. But… why?

There was no suspicion and he could easily do… _anything_ to me. I mentioned his aura before well, Urahara's was _extremely_ powerful, _hugely_ intimidating, and abnormally _sharp_.

Like a blade.

It was _massively_ controlled as well.

But I couldn't _feel_ a thing from it.

No human I'd ever met possessed that kind of skill.

I looked him up and down. "You… you saw everything?"

"Every second." His smile widened, "It was an impressive display."

"You were impressed by my loss of control?" I frowned.

"More like your level of power. Pretty high for a 16 year old school girl."

…Level of power huh? Never had one before today. Was he referring to that glowing greenish energy that covered me? And what did he know about power levels? I had the feeling the boundaries of knowledge in this guy was endless.

I exhaled and nodded somewhat queasily. "Trust me the experience was _completely_ _new_ for me."

He nodded back in understanding. "I know. That was why you had no control… you awoke yourself last night." He was being serious but his eyes were shining.

"Eh?"

He grinned. "To fully awaken one you have to be prepared for exposure to the universe. It can pack quite a punch."

I lifted an eyebrow. Is that how he described my screw up? That I _awoke_?

"Why did you bring me _here_?"

"To heal you."

He'd healed me? I didn't look under the covers but my leg really did feel fine. My shoulder too.

Urahara was _still_ staring at me. Like if he stared hard enough he could figure the mysteries of life.

"What is it?" I asked tentatively.

He jumped as if he didn't realise I'd caught him staring "Nothing! Nothing really. It's just that…" His head tilted sideways. "You're human."

I raised my eyebrows feeling a tiny bit fragile. "Why is that such a shock?"

He shook his head "It isn't." He sat down properly to get comfortable. He tapped his chin with his fan, eyes on the ceiling. "Hmmm, how to explain properly…"

He deliberated for a moment before looking back to me.

"Humans exist on the foundation of three things: mind, body and soul each split up into their own elements. Now normally this is the part were I'd lie but I'd say were _way_ past that. So here goes…"

"Souls or spirits can exist outside the body if a human's soul is high in reitsu er, spiritual power and intensity." He added at my confusion. "And when it is, it can display inordinate amounts of skill and awareness. They could even have powers!" He ended enthusiastically.

This wasn't exactly new information. I see ghosts and other apparitions all the time. And then there was Kurosaki and what I saw last night… after that front row seat I completely believed the possibility of souls existing independently outside of their living issue.

"Sometimes however the physical side is where the power lies, in the blood, the bone and a person's chi… even if it is rare."

I nodded in understanding.

Urahara waved his fan frivolously. "There are forces at work in this world separate from human knowledge and perception and yet tied to humans irrevocably. Forces that, _now _after what happened last night, you will be unable to avoid."

Oh… good news I see.

"Forces that bring order to a chaotic world? And what has this got to do with your surprise at my being a human? You say that like your not one by the way." I finished shrewdly.

His lips quirked, "Perceptive aren't we." Then he sighed.

He held up a single finger. "Just ONE example of the forces I hinted at would be the existence of… soul reapers." At this Kurosaki's image came back into my mind and I remembered what he looked like last night: black kimono, sword as long as he was tall, sandals; he looked a little older dressed like this than he did in his school uniform.

"Their existence involves the balance of spirits in the human world and the protection of souls against hollows. Ah, I see a hint of recollection in your eyes." He pointed his fan at me.

I sighed. "Kurosaki…" I whispered.

He scratched his chin again, "Yes, that would be Karakura town's very own substitute soul reaper; has been for over a week now." He peered at me from under the folds of his hat. "You saw him last night?"

I fidgeted with my fingers "I saw him before I…" I made a few hand gestures sheepishly. "…Blew up." I finished feebly.

His voice turned curious. "Really? What happened?"

My shoulders lifted in a shrug. "I looked at him… and I came to pieces." I said in a self deprecating fashion.

"Scary huh?" He said matter of fact like.

I nodded. Understatement of the century.

"Well this ties in nicely with the second point then," he held up finger number two, "I took a small sample of your DNA… along with a sample of that energy you so usefully blasted into the atmosphere."

He waited as I downloaded that information. He took some of my blood… the very thing I'd warned Kurosaki to never do… Why would he want a blood sample from me in the first place?

I stared at him seriously. "You took some of my blood? Without permission?"

"I think you fail to grasp just how serious your condition was when I brought you here last night." He said wryly "The blood sample will take some time to analyse but I _can _tell you something about your unusual energy."

He took a second's pause for dramatic effect.

"It's …different." How agonizingly vague.

"…It's unlike _anything_ I've ever seen." He sounded uncomfortably awed. "And you were _born_ this way, no bioengineering involved nor were you subjected for long periods of time to large amounts of spiritual pressure. Your power, it comes from _deep _within you. It's something I don't think anyone could ever truly analyse; both your physical self and you spiritual self… and yet at the same time it's neither. "

I began a slow frown wondering why he was talking about me as if I were the scientific discovery of the century.

He pointed at me. "You, a _human_ have power… lots of it. You know that last night was just the beginning, right? Bodily too, from what I can see you'll become stronger, _faster_; your body must react to danger allowing for change and development…"

He let himself trail off and was quiet for a moment then looked at me directly.

"You're brand new Mai Li, unique… Super."

He'd stupefied me into silence. Wait… _super_? …What did that even mean? I could remember last night and what Seigi told me… How I'd _reacted_ to the yokai. But…

A little extreme don't you think? _I think my brain might just shut down._

"I'm stronger now?" I asked rhetorically, barely a whisper.

"You should drink your water; I can imagine you're quite thirsty after being so drained." I looked to my right slowly and saw a large glass of clear, cold water that I had missed next to the futon I was lying on. The sight of the liquid seemed to activate a dry spell in my throat and I quickly drank it down. Maybe the water would help me think.

Wait a minute… Yokai…

"I already know about the Yokai." He said simply.

I raised my eyebrows, did he read minds too?

"No I don't read minds it's just an obvious next step topic wise." He twirled his fan in the air and then fanned his face again. "It's a problem that's been popping up more and more the past few weeks, well them and the hollows…"

"And Hollows are… souls? Gone bad?" I guessed.

He shook his head. "You're half right. Hollows are ghosts that lose their final links to humanity."

I frowned softly. "Why are they constantly ravenous?"

He smiled dryly. "They aren't hungry. They covet and crave what they have lost. They feed in an effort to gain back their hearts, to bury the missing piece of themselves under other souls."

I waited for a minute before speaking again almost inaudibly. "How sad."

He cocked an eyebrow. "Most wouldn't refer to them as creatures worthy of sympathy, especially after witnessing what you have…"

I shrugged self consciously. "It's still sad. So soul reapers… cleanse hollows? And that's what Kurosaki does?"

He nodded. "So you _know_ Ichigo?"

I did a jerky head bob. "We're kind of friends…"

He started fanning himself as he watched me.

"I have to ask… why did you save me. Why are you helping me?" I asked quietly. "And why tell me all this?"

He shut his fan with a snap. "Because you needed it. And because… I'm intrigued."

His smile lessened slightly but didn't leave; rather it became a little awkward.

"I was in awe… I was already in the area and… why not?" He shrugged. "Also I realised how much pain you must have been in and I felt sympathy. You're still young after all."

Well it was better than pity. He was a scientist with secrets.

I nodded slowly. At least he answered the question, in a roundabout fashion.

Then I blinked. "Wait, what time is it?"

"It's just after 6:00 in the morning." He said nonchalant.

"_What_?" I yelped.

I bounced up… then fell back down groaning. My body hated me today. I hadn't been home all night! Jihi and Chiyu are probably having fits by now and I _still_ had information to retain. So much had happened last night, this Urahara guy had the answers and I, well… _I_ was in way over my head.

"Oh and your phone's been going off all night." Urahara pointed towards my bag.

"Right… I'll look at it later. Thanks." I said distractedly.

When I was finally able to stand I realised something was… different.

I looked down at myself.

"Urahara?"

"Mmm?"

"Whose clothes are these… and how did I get into them?"

"…Oh _weeell_, you see you were a mess last night so-

"You said you examined me. Was I naked by any chance?" I asked passively.

"_Nooooooooo_, of course no-_OW_!"

It had been a pure motor reaction. I threw the pillow at him then kicked him in the face were the pillow had landed. He rolled on the floor fake tears drizzling down his face. _MY_ face was as bright as the surface of the sun! I'd been seen naked, for the _FIRST_ TIME by… _this_ guy. The last ten hours had not been kind to my poor soul.

No matter how shy I may or may not be this went too far. "_These clothes are yours I take it_?" I hissed, still bright red and trying not to hide my face and run away.

He crawled back up, looking like a scorned puppy; he probably didn't even give a rat's ass that he'd seen me naked but he played the part of the shamed older man well. Unbelievable. One hand on the side of his face where I'd kicked him, he looked miserable.

"…We keep old clothes just in case something like _this_ happens… that _really_ hurt by the way." He was _whining_ now; maybe the tears had been real. "You do realise that you're stronger than the average human right? That kicking me in the face could have ended in, say, a broken bone on my part, right? You've probably never had a sick day in your life… right?"

He was right, I haven't.

Why did all this have to happen now? Why did I suddenly have to '_wake up'_ now?

I swallowed the embarrassment of my recent nudity.

"I'm going to sprint home; _and_ I'm taking your clothes by the way, but first…" I paused for a moment as my words took form. "Did Kurosaki's er, what did you call it, spiritual energy… _wake_ me up? Is that why it was so painful?"

He sat straight up for a minute, false misery gone. "I'd say it was more of a stimulus. From what I could see; from my perch in the trees, (…_what_?) it didn't _instigate_ the change but it did _speed_ it up at an alarming rate." He uncrossed his legs. "You obviously react strongly to energy and for having it blocked like you did, for as long as I think you did, Ichigo's reitsu was just the catalyst needed for awakening to ABSOLUTE POWER!"

He struck a He-Man pose and stayed that way whilst sitting… I sweat dropped.

"Okay… so I'm going to go… but I'll be back." There was still so much I didn't understand and he had all the answers.

He snapped out of the pose. "Of course you will! But you need to get back to school." He tone turned serious for a moment. "Do me a favour; keep as quiet about all of this as possible. I'll tell you my reasoning later and here-"

He gave me a bottle with a skull and crossbones on it. Nice…

"Take one every hour otherwise the pain in your body will only increase. Your cells were flooded with energy before you went unconscious and you weren't out for as long as I thought you would be. Come see me after school ends; we'll talk more"

I raised my eyebrows. "…Why thank you Yoda." I said gratefully.

That actually made him smile; a HUGE smile. Obviously he was a Star Wars fan…

"I have a question for you too." He muttered before I left. "One that we should both be able to answer in due time." His look turned into soft appreciation. "Who _are_ you Mai?"

I didn't have a clue as to how to respond to that.

He shouted out to me as I bombed out the door leading to outside the (I saw over my shoulders) Urahara Shouten – hah, a sweet shop oh the irony, his voice quietening the further I ran.

"Good Luck! And remember to watch your speed. Don't loose control, wipe yourself out and eat a BIG breakfast. Your body's changed and people can see you, you aren't invisible blah blah…and don't be upset about me seeing you naked… for a teenager your 'bod' is pretty decent… and I've seen LOTS believe me!"

My cheeks didn't stop blushing until I was around the corner and out of earshot.

Moron.

* * *

I shouldn't have, not really, but the moment my feet had hit the pavement I'd felt the irresistible urge to run flat out.

And the results were both exciting and astonishing.

Normally, a walk from Urahara's to mine would take almost as long as it would take me to walk to school depending on my speed.

During my _controlled run _I had cut that time down to almost a third of it. I had done as Urahara instructed and had watched my speed but _Jesus_ was there a difference!

Feeling the earth beneath my shoe covered feet and the wind in my face I felt completely and undeniably awake. And connected inexplicably to everything.

I had always been a decent runner; never a sprinter like Ryo Kuneida but I could easily hold my own in a long distance race and keep going long after everyone else. But now…

I could still do that; only now I could that at _speed_.

Actually there wasn't really that much of a change. It had more to do with my stamina level; it had flown through the roof along an obvious increase in muscle integrity/density.

A well of energy that had been building up within me was now pouring through my veins.

My breath had only started to come quickly about half way to my home and that was probably because my body still ached. I had taken one of the pills given to me by Urahara however and the run had loosened me up nicely.

Another fun fact?

I could jump higher too.

During my sprint I'd taken a short cut and almost ran right into a cart of fruit and vegetables, the owner preparing for early morning shopping. I was forced to jump right over it. Almost ix foot in height, ten feet in length…

And I had done it free-runner style.

I'd gripped the edges of the cart in front of me. Moving faster than I have ever ran before I pushed my body through the gap my two arms created using them as leverage giving strength to the jump. Feet tucked into my body I leapt high. When I landed I continued running as though nothing had happened leaving behind a stunned middle aged man, mouth open beside the cart.

It had felt unbelievable.

I could have laughed hysterically.

Overnight, quite literally, I'd become the fittest person in school and I had a feeling it wouldn't stop there.

It was a little scary to be honest.

And I'd wiped myself out. Stupid of me I know but it had been truly wonderful.

I clung to the door of the Onsen; out of breath.

Crossing my fingers I placed one hesitant step before the other. No one stopped me, no worried Chiyu or giddy Jihi. I had a vision of Pei sitting outside waiting all night for me to come home so that I could be interrogated.

I crept up the stairs to my room and walked straight into the shower.

What could I say to Jihi and Chiyu? Should I even say anything?

Nothing felt quite real yet.

I stood under hot water for 20 minutes. That helped the aches and pains. I leaned under the shower head and bent my head forward so the water could hit my back. _This _is when I noticed the bruises.

A spread of blacks, blues and yellow circles on my thighs, arms and shoulders. My knuckles were red and sore and I received a brutal flash back from the night's events. I'd hammered yokai into walls… I'd done so without pause. Where were the scratches on my arms from their claws? The bruises replaced them…

I scrubbed my hands extra hard.

I may be proficient and able when it comes to self defence but… not like this. I knew I was capable of differing levels of physical aggression given my past escapades and yet this… my viciousness troubled me.

Urahara had referred to the yokai as he would a statistic: but for me they were now flesh and blood nightmares that made me wonder about strange things like fate and… intrigue.

I should forget about it for a while.

But what about my conscience? Did I feel guilty… about destroying man-eating creatures?

No. No I didn't.

It had been necessary. They were going to kill me. I knew without thought that they were vile abnormalities that shouldn't have been there in the first place.

They didn't belong to this world; even if they were humanoid they were not supposed to be here.

With a towel wrapped around my form I stepped out of the shower and made my way over to the fogged mirror. It took me a moment to realise why I was frowning.

I lifted a mortified hand up to my mouth. Oh no…

Urahara had seen my tattoo.

Yes, I had a large ouraborous like tattoo covering part of my upper back between my shoulder blades.

The dark circle was unified by several dark strands of black… vines? Thorns?

I still didn't know what it truly was or what it meant… because I'd had it for as long as I could remember.

And Urahara had seen it during his close up examination of my body. He was probably going to think I was interested in that kind of thing.

I placed my forehead on the palm of my hand and sighed. Why _that_ bothered me when the guy had seen me naked… Oh man, I had to just go to that place didn't I?

I gave a pathetic whine before I picked up a comb.

A long while later (my hair took time to tame) I descended the stairs and, _unfortunately_, bumped into Pei on my way…in her florescent pj's… _yeah_. A gift from Jihi no doubt.

Her eyes widened before she started grinning with mischief. "Whoa, look who didn't come home _all night_!" Her eyebrows did a playful kind of jiggle with a suggestive expression loading her features.

…Crap.

"Seriously Mai, what happened? Tell me! Tell me! Tell me! _Please_ tell me!" She practically bounced on the spot.

I raised my hands in an attempt to pacify. "Pei, nothing happened really… a simple mistake, that's it. I swear…" She waited with impatience as I tried to find a reasonable excuse and failed pathetically. "…I fell asleep. With some friends. At the fair. We were talking until late and we just… feel… asleep?" It came out more like a question then anything.

"Were there any boys with you?" She pounced suddenly.

Not seeing the logic behind it I frowned and answered truthfully. "Yes, of course there-"

"MOM! DAD! MAI SPENT THE NIGHT WITH BOYS!"

She dashed downstairs before I could do a thing yelling on top pitch.

After a minute I unfroze and followed with an eyebrow twitch.

By the time I'd gotten to the main room Pei had practically divulged a twisted story of teenage angst, about some sort of night time, nefarious ritual drama.

Chiyu and Jihi were sat rigid at the breakfast bar as she went on. "…and there were three of them. Boys! And then they expected her to-"

My forehead throbbed. "Pei, STOP IT ALREADY!"

She stuck her tongue out. "Fine! …Party pooper."

I sighed and slouched on over to my guardians. I smiled meekly at them trying to ignore their rigid stares. "M-morning Jihi… Chiyu…"

Chiyu's middle finger tapped sternly on the surface top. "…Morning." She austerely.

I gulped.

"Have a nice time last night…Mai?" Jihi said dangerously quiet.

I actually began to sweat. "Y-yeah… s-sorry about not coming back in time, I…" I swallowed and shook myself. This was silly. Yes I'd worried them but I was fine and sensible and they shouldn't worry about me so much especially since they know I'm more than capable. I would never deliberately put them through any kind of anxiety.

I turned to face them. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to worry you but I'm fine. And I had a good night; my friends and I ended up talking for hours and we fell asleep on the crates outside of the fair. All in all a good night I'd say."

I went to pour coffee.

Silence rained for a moment before I heard Chiyu sigh. "I was worried you'd have a bad time being on your own and all and I wanted to make sure you were fine when you came home." She said simply. Well that clears it. Chiyu rocks.

I smiled at her and said, "Well I _was_ fine and _am_ fine, but thanks for worrying. And I'm sorry. Though in future I wouldn't advise waiting up for me; I'm pretty unpredictable."

She smiled back, "I know." She tousled my hair then walked off to get more coffee.

Jihi was still sat on his stool however, and was staring at me; his gaze giving me a thorough once over and a small frown gathered above his brow. He looked… concerned about something.

"What's wrong Jihi?" I asked quietly.

He didn't anything for a moment.

"Are you _sure_ nothing happened last night?"

I frowned softly and nodded. "Mmm hmm… why?"

He laced his fingers together. "…You look different honey." He said kindly but not without substance.

I blinked and just watched him. Chiyu I saw turned her head to look at him too. It took me a minute to realise that he was right.

I did look different and I hadn't expected anyone to notice. I was completely healed for one thing and for another I looked fresh and bright; my eyes were more vivid than ever. And all my senses were so high… sharp in contrast to how they were a few days ago.

Chiyu transferred her stare from her husband to me after a moment. It didn't take long for her to come to the same conclusion as Jihi.

I looked back at Jihi and shrugged. "I had a good time."

His eyes focused in on me and I felt exposed. He wasn't irritated or anything but it was like he knew I was lying. But he didn't push me, he just smiled.

"You know, you can talk to me Mai… anytime… about _anything_, alright." He looked at me pointedly.

I nodded slowly. "I know Jihi."

He got up off his seat with a grunt and messed up my hair like Chiyu had as he passed me. "Just remember that." He whispered.

But could I? Really?

Could I tell him about the recurring dreams, about the Hollows and Yokai? I knew that both he and my aunt knew much more than I thought but I wasn't ready to confide in them… at least not until I understood more about myself.

Besides the idea of conveying the truth to them was incredibly embarrassing.

Pei nudged me a little while later after Jihi had returned to his normal moronic self.

"So Mai, details." She giggled.

"Pei, there really was nothing to report…" I started but she stopped me.

She gave me a morose glare. "Mai I'm dying here…" Then she sighed mournfully. "I didn't think I'd have to do this but you leave me no choice… here comes the _look_."

Her dark eyes rounded turning to gems in an exaggerated puppy dog fashion. She looked up at me from underneath a curtain of well cared for black hair and pretty lashes and I sighed. Oh well…

I ended up describing my friends to her. Having gotten the wrong end of the stick with what Jihi had said she'd figured I'd gone and done something somewhat promiscuous to instigate the sudden change in my appearance. She begged me to describe Kurosaki who she immediately figured to be a 'hottie' and then she'd gone on to explain to me about how both Orihime and Kuchiki (just from their descriptions alone) would be vying for Kurosaki's affection… simple, because they were opposites.

Somehow it ended up turning into some sort of Walt Disney tale so I left her in the kitchen to stew over her fantasy world in peace. Chiyu had her rota planned for today anyway and before Pei could object had forced her to wash up and meet her in the Onsen reception area. That's when Pei decided to give a full and complete account of what I'd told her about my night. Immediately Chiyu was enraptured.

Heading back upstairs to get my bag I felt a little… odd.

I needed to be outside again.

I ran down stairs, keys in hand again; ready for school. I walked back to the kitchen where Pei was _still_ cavorting on and grabbed an apple.

"…_**And latest in, the reports confirm that the body of missing student Seigi Aseiga has indeed been found. After several days of searching he was discovered at a travelling fairground in the early hours of the morning this day…"**_

The TV continued to drone on and I saw Jihi shake his head sadly at the picture of Seigi. I felt my chest constrict at the sight.

They found his body… because of me. Had it been further mutilated by my energy explosion? _After_ I'd rammed his possessed face into a wall?

Had I helped him at all?

Was he, the ghost alright? Had he disappeared or had Kurosaki taken care of the situation?

"Mai, are you o.k.?"

Jihi's large hand gently grasped my shoulder as he peered at the anxiety climbing into my expression.

I exhaled and tried to smile. "I just…" I gestured towards the television. "…I talked to him."

He smiled in sympathy. "It can be hard to hear about the death of someone your own age…"

I shook my head. "No Jihi…" He didn't understand. I waked away from his confused glance and said over my shoulder. "…I talked to him last _night_."

I didn't stay to see what he made of that.

* * *

**Urahara Shoten**

Well, well, well how… _unexpected_.

It hadn't exactly been difficult to find her.

For weeks now she'd been a bright light swimming through an ocean of life… and now finally, those that preyed on such untapped energy had started to take notice of her, which meant that she would have to be doubly careful.

Her arrival had been an unusually perfect coincidence; she had come at precisely the right time.

Kisuke Urahara leaned casually against the sliding door to the front of the Shouten, the sun hitting his face as he recollected about the previous night.

He hadn't expected anything out of the ordinary to occur, at least not then.

Sending Tessai, Jinta, and Ururu to circle the fair and exterminate the gathering of hollows, he'd kept out of sight in the trees beside the area just in case he was needed elsewhere, which he didn't think he would be… they were just a pack of Hollows…

But if the Yokai turned up… they'd be in troubled even with Kisuke Urahara by their sides.

…That's when he felt it.

It was like a pull.

The atmosphere became suddenly dense and had pulled back, like an intake of breath, to the far side of the park. To anyone else it would have felt like nothing more than an errant wind but to someone experienced in the tell tail signs of energy accumulation, transmission, and transference; it was something a kin to a drowning sensation.

_Everyone else _was safe but _someone_ else was drowning in their own power.

Ichigo Kurosaki and Rukia Kuchiki were over there too.

He hadn't had the unique pleasure of meeting Ichigo Kurosaki face to face yet… he would have to be careful… Which isn't saying much since he pretty much wrote the book on capability and was more than adept at stealth… thank you Yoruichi.

Beguiled, he flashed trough the trees ending just 20 metres, give or take, away from the so-called haunted house. Wasn't much of a house anymore though, the hollows had taken care of that and Ichigo was taking care of them.

He left that thought alone though and watched as a weakly retreating figure crawled out of the back of the house… and almost _knock him down_… without even touching him.

To Urahara he felt like he'd been hit in the chest by a blast of wind as heavy as a truck. He'd been too lax in his approximation of the situation.

Seeking protection behind a tree he peaked out to watch the girl. So she _was_ here after all. He'd been so sure he'd felt her presence, that same signature she'd displayed during her arrival in Karakura…

It looked like she was indeed having some trouble with said energy.

Interesting.

She was suffering, in pain and was trying so admirably to control the uncontrollable. She also looked scared. He took that as a sign of her inexperience. Another wave broke out of her and his eyes actually widened.

…_My God._

It was visible. He could actually _see _it. And so could other, normal people who were running and shouting in the opposite direction. The girl was going through some kind of transmogrification and there was nothing anybody could do to stop it. He'd seen similar things happen during laboratory controlled sessions in the past; when people activated their powers, but never to such an intense degree.

_This_ feeling though… Urahara had sensed this somewhere before…

And He braced himself for what he knew was about to happen.

Before it did he witnessed Rukia drag a nettled Ichigo away from the fallen building. Ichigo really was dim when it came to his powers of observation regarding energy; his own was so massive it was difficult for him to sense the surrounding energies of others.

Grinning almost imperceptivity to himself, his eyes never leaving the girl; he saw her body curl in on itself before she let loose and erupted.

Bright light spurted out of her eyes, mouth, and emitted brightest from her chest. He had one second to marvel at the sight before taking cover behind a tree when the colossal shockwave hit…

And found that he actually had to move _farther_ into the trees to keep from being crushed by them. He hadn't expected the raw energy of the explosion. He held onto the hat on his head with his hands, clothes rippling in the repercussion of the outburst. Said explosion spread to about fifty metres in all directions from where she lay destroying and blasting away carts and vendors. The remains of the haunted house no longer existed. Just bits here and there.

The resounding shockwave however spread throughout the park, knocking the wind out of the civilians.

Thinking about it now, there are only two people in his life so far who could have _accidentally _displayed such raw power. One was currently retired… for the moment… and the other was shielding himself behind a rollercoaster arguing with Rukia Kuchiki.

Silence covered the area (apart from the arguing, _invisible_ shinigami - idiots).

He moved quickly to just within the blast zone, the ground overturned and slightly charred. Then he moved to a slow, measured pace towards the girl, the dust coloured air covered his form from prying eyes.

He observed her as he walked closer, taking in everything, not underestimating the possibility of danger. Not that there would be. This girl meant no harm to anyone.

A pleasure to finally meet you Mai Li.

First year high school student.

She could see, touch, feel, locate and talk to ghosts.

She was glowing slightly… like the resounding radiation after a nuclear bomb.

Her body trembled and she was covered in a cold seat, barely enough energy to lift the lids of her eyes. He could also see that her clothes were shredded and there was blood on her hands and arms.

She'd been through the mill tonight.

He could sense something else, the residual… smell and presence of…

_Yokai!_

She'd fought with Yokai… And had escaped, had survived. This was easy to tell.

Yokai don't leave victims alive.

Somehow it didn't come as much of a surprise.

Looking down at her form sympathy swelled within him. She was far from a normal teenage girl but she'd had a rough night and unfortunately for her, it wouldn't be the last. Her case resembled Ichigo's but with a rather massive twist… Secrets, secrets…

Crouching down he brushed the hair stuck to her forehead away and murmured words of safety.

"It's alright. Everything is going to be fine now." She fell into unconsciousness.

He needed to examine her. For weeks he'd wanted an introduction with her and now was the perfect opportunity. He needed to be absolutely certain that she was who he believed her to possibly be. Until then she was an unspecified subject. He also had to get her away from the area before anyone else arrived.

The game had changed. There was a new player on the board and the game was so much more complex than even he had believed it to be.

And now, this morning…

He'd told her the truth. She was a more than human but… there was so much more to her than that and he was somewhat apprehensive about pressurising her with too much detail.

But she needed a few hundred lessons in how to control her law bending, environment altering energy… it was so close to reitsu so it wouldn't be too difficult to control.

Whether she liked it or not she would play a roll in the war of so many fronts… She would just have to grow up and toughen up. Ouch.

Though her existence did bring up a rather puzzling question mark. Why was she here? Now? _What is she?_

He may know the possibilities of her existence and the substantial consequences that could ensue from such a necessary existence but… he was missing a large piece of a very intriguing puzzle.

He might actually have to look in the history books for this one.

Heavy footstep resounded within the room behind him.

"Boss I've made some tea. Was everything alright with Miss Li?"

Tessai loomed in the background. Urahara had specifically asked him to keep away from the guest with Jinta and Ururu. He didn't know what kind of reaction she would have to meeting so many strangers all at once. He'd introduce them later.

He broke out his fan. "Everything was fine Tessai! Quite fun in fact! We'll be seeing her later. Heh, she's quite spirited… and observant… There's a change in the air I can feel it." He smirked roguishly behind the fan.

The he walked back inside for his heavenly fix of the drug known as tea, Tessai at his heels.

* * *

**Deep within the confines of the Soul Society's Research Department**

Sometimes fate had the oddest of quirks.

It seemed that normalcy or peace was an impossible goal for the teenagers of Karakura.

Once they introduced themselves it wasn't long before they became targets.

And the human world was on a constant inspection.

The Soul Society: a place where few if any humans had ever journeyed to during their living days. Always was it on silent alert for any abnormality, patrolling in secret behind the eyes and ears of humans, trying forcefully to bring balance to an unbalanced existence… such is the nature of the human condition. If it wasn't unstable there would be no hollows.

Ever where there an individual who could describe such a place would be at a loss for words, the very air appeared cleansed and honed to be sharp as if on the edge of a sword.

The beauty and seeming purity of the realm of Soul Reapers hid many depths and many secrets behind its white washed walls. Divided into areas of interest such as the Kido Core, the Onmitsukido and the Science Division it brought a deadly kind of order.

Deep within the confining depths of the department of research and observation a computer bleeped in one current obnoxious shriek that anyone other than the current occupants of the spacey room would have gladly taken a wrench to just to keep the bloody thing quiet.

The room was deliberately designed for long hours of surveillance. The building had been split up into sections; the room above them was fully computerised with no researchers that documented information received by living energy particles in their constant watch on the world of the living. _This_ (the one below) room was used for analysis inhabited by the dark eyed, caffeine addicts that worked 16 hour shifts. It would have helped if the data passed to them was even a little interesting, or if it would just flux and change once in a while but unfortunately life in the human world rarely changed on the spiritual level.

But of course the moment such a statement left the lips of one bored soul in particular the universe was obligated to prove just how wrong that person was.

The pale faced researcher on the desk parallel to the rather large screen that displayed current data blowups of significant energy readings stilled for just a moment causing his brown haired, brown eyed friend at the adjacent desk to look up at the unusual movement.

His eyebrows rose when said pale friend moved to lean forwards slowly as he read field schematics on the small device in front of him.

When his friend frowned he immediately pushed his swivel chair away from his own desk so that he could better see what his friend was troubled over. Things rarely happened in this room that caused any amount of unease. So when his buddy muttered the following words it only made sense that he listened with a seriousness that he never usually employs.

"Well that's… strange." The whisper barely ghosted his pale friend's lips but it was loud enough.

"What is it?" He asked as he pushed his chair towards his companion.

His friend finally looked at him and he had to keep his body from cringing when he saw the obvious dark marks under his eyes accentuating the already pale face. He knew he'd have them too; these shifts were killers.

"There's been an anomaly in sector seven." He whispered.

"Isn't that squad Thirteen's current area?"

Pale face nodded.

Brown hair shrugged.

"What's the problem? It can't be that big a…"

He trailed off when he saw his friend shake his head uneasily.

"The… data reading was high enough to alert the sensor fields…"

_That _caused his friend's eyes to widen.

"That…can't be… it…"

Pale face nodded. "Isn't possible, I know. That's not the problem though. I mean if it was just this I'd give the data to Squad Master Haruto to deal with but…"

"What?"

Pale face leaned closer to his friend just in case the other researchers realised that their jobs were indeed less interesting than possible menial gossip.

He whispered. "I heard that the soul reaper guarding over Sector Seven AKA Karakura Town missed their deadline to report in." Eyes flickering around them, Pale face leaned in closer. "Also a lot of the energy fluctuations from the normal hollow slayings have changed; they don't match the shinigami on duty there. The read-outs are too… powerful."

As his friend inclined his head to his own screen again Brown hair thought he saw the man pale even further if that were possible.

"This reading just now was enough to warrant an official co-investigation between the Stealth Force and the Science Department. It wasn't Reitsu for one thing and it…"

_It isn't reitsu? What else could it be?_

Far too interested Brown hair urged his friend to continue. "Go on."

Pale face gulped, never being one to have a strong constitution. "The area within the anomaly reading was… _affected_ by the foreign energy particles."

_What… did that mean?_

Pale face stood. "I have to pass this along to a senior officer right now; this is too big for us." Meaning he'd have to pass it onto the Spiritual Wave Measurement Lab and then the officers (Vice-Head of department Akon and Hiyosu) in charge there would pass it onto the higher ups i.e. the head of Research and Development.

Brown hair nodded but stopped his friend before he could go.

"How strong was the pulse?"

Pale face thought for a moment. "It isn't the strength of it that's the problem. It's the fact that my computer, which holds all relevant data, even the _classifieds_ from past research is in there, and yet couldn't find a match to the output ratio. Whatever it was… it wasn't something we know about, therefore…"

"Therefore it's potentially dangerous."

A quick nod. "Exactly.


	6. And So it Begins

Disclaimer: Nope, don't own a thing.

**Hello, ello, ello!**

**Shaybo27: Have no fear comrad, there is just _no way_ that Ichigo will end up with Orihime. At least not in this fic. Tite Kubo can do what he likes but... lets just say (I'll give you a hint because you're awesome) that some things happen in the future... _far _into the future of this story (well not _that_ far) which will make a relationship between those two become impossible to consider. I actually like Orihime, at times, but I just wish she could be more assertive in the manga. I mean she's been in love with Ichigo since forever and yet she hasn't made it even remotely obvious. Over the years she could have shown him by oh I don't know increasing the (non-existant) flirting, the affection; even if he realised and refused she would have some sort of closure. I mean, he isn't dead; he is a red bloodied male, there's a chance he'd reciprocate... sigh. Oh er, this chapter won't reveal much new about the story parsay though it does a little (sorry!) but it gives the chance for the friends to catch up on the nights events. More will definately be revealed in the next chapter I assure you.**

**Hyourin-Kusabana: Thank you, thanks, no stop flattering me you don't really need to... but continue anyway (eyes move shiftily to the left and right) cough... ahem. Er, really thanks for the review. Every little bit helps. I don't actually know the path that my chapters are going to take until I put them down on paper or type them up on computer. But Mai going supernova was something that was always going to happen. She was a bomb almost ready to explode anyway. If it hadn't been for Ichigo's rampant reitsu she'd be in-between modes for several weeks more... **

**And here is chapter 5...**

Chapter 5:

**And so it begins…**

**Mai**

I stared down at my feet as I walked down to school and let my mind wander.

Moments of the night seemed to stay with me more clearly than others. Seigi's body changing before my eyes into some grotesque variation of the yokai… was that part of their abilities and influence? The very idea of their existence still stunned me; I couldn't think of them as a real entity just yet.

Kurosaki fighting, playing at Kendo with Hollows (he wasn't _exactly_ playing with that huge weapon of his) because he was now a soul reaper rather than a high school kid with high spiritual energy and normal high school problems?

No wonder he hadn't told me anything. How could I ever understand his world the same way?

The world around me was beginning to unravel and I don't think I was supposed to stop it… at least that's how I felt about it.

A big chunk of the hidden mysteries of Karakura had just been revealed to me… one secret of so many, I was just getting started.

And I'd dreamed.

As I lay in that place, that… in-between world of sorts, the hidden sea lying behind each layer and crack of Karakura I'd drifted somewhere that had no light and held no shadows. Flashes of future events both significant and insignificant had slammed into focus one after the other, overlapping each other.

I'd been presented with a series of names and descriptives. Words popped into my head that I'd never heard before, words like 'Zanpakto' and 'Gin', 'Hogyoku' and 'Mibu', whatever those where.

And I remembered a feeling, one that reeked of despair and carried with it the urge to… do _something_. Unfortunately I had no idea what.

But really… all I knew from the whole ordeal was that I was never setting foot inside of a haunted house again!

Seigi…

Why then and there? Why now? And where was he? I didn't see him anywhere after I entered that room…

So there were Hollows, ghosts and now Yokai…

And again Kurosaki… I would be lying if I said I wasn't a little in awe.

A soul reaper. Shinigami. Something you read about in books.

…What was _I_ becoming?

And then my heart sank slightly. Urahara had told me to keep quiet about the previous night… this meant that I couldn't explain a single thing to Kurosaki. And I wanted to. I wanted to ask him how amazing or terrifying it felt to be a shinigami and how he'd become one in the first place.

Did _he_ know about the Yokai?

Wait… was he even alright after last night? I'd blown up more or less in his face!

I bit my lip and concentrated…Ah… there he was…

Whoa… he was tired.

Now that I was all 'awakened' like Urahara said it would be effortless to see 'into' his aura once I was closer to him. Maybe I could try to understand how a human teenager could possibly be a creature of the supernatural.

But that would have to wait until I arrived at school.

Hmmm, school… I sighed and looked at my watch.

And balked. "Oh man… _SCHOOL! _I'm _sooo_ late; Miss Ochi's going to kill meeee!"

Needless to say I pegged it.

* * *

My footsteps crashed heavily onto the hall floor.

"EXCUSE ME… OUT OF THE WAY PEOPLE! MOVE IT SISTER! ER, PLEASE!"

I got a few minor looks of wrath that I chose to ignore, some understandably exasperated sighs that I nodded to in apology. I winced as my knee crashed into some poor book worm's head as we collided.

But finally I made it into the classroom before Miss. Ochi.

I banged into the door, pushed out in defence to turn into the room and landed heavily, out of breath but happy. "I made it!"

And was immediately in the crosshairs of Kurosaki's death glare.

…Oops…

The majority of the class were smiling and shaking their heads indulgently but Kurosaki, the one person in the class without a smile on his face, which let's face isn't exactly a shocker, sat rigid in his seat as if he'd been struck by lightning.

He looked absolutely stunned.

The death glare was his defence mechanism to the aforementioned shock.

Those brown eyes, dull and tawny from lack of sleep raked over me harshly as if in accusation only pausing at my right shoulder before hitting me square in the eyes.

"YOU!"

Both of us jumped and looked towards the source of the noise.

"You made it!"

Tatsuki, Keigo and Mizuiro scrambled out of their seats (Keigo performed a running jump) and latched onto various parts of my body as I stumbled back.

"What happened to you? Are you ok? We were so worried about you!"

I tried to get a word in. "Er…?" Well sort of…

"We thought you'd _died_!"

"No we didn't Keigo stop being an idiot!"

"Well what did _you_ think after last night huh?"

"Me? I thought she went home completely fine."

"_Now_ who's a sucky liar? You've been clutching her bag of fairground sweets like it was an archaeological marvel."

"Shut up freakasaurus!"

"I am NOT a freakasaurus!"

"Guys I think were _freaking_ her out."

…They were this relieved? To see me safe? Wow… was that why Kurosaki looked so strained before?

The trio looked up at my face, which was a kind of feat seeing as how they were all wrapped around me. They'd, _sweetly_, flung themselves at me wrapping around my stomach, back and neck. I was a little embarrassed by all the attention but happy to see that they were alright nonetheless.

Still it was surprising. With the exception of Keigo the melodramatic one, Tatsuki usually refrained from acting out with childlike glee and Mizuiro, the straight man to Keigo's funny man wouldn't be caught dead being associated in such a way with his hormonal friend.

And yet here they were, happy to see me. I let out a deep breath…

"Where the _hell_ have **you** been?"

I winced and slowly, after detaching myself, looked around at Kurosaki who'd half risen out of his seat with his impassioned shout.

He was… _angry_ with me?

His eye was twitching.

Well… I'd recently stated that I would definitely prefer anger to indifference but coming from Kurosaki… it kind of made me want to go hide in the bathroom again.

* * *

_**Five Minutes Before…**_

**Ichigo**

_Dammit_.

True to form he hadn't slept a wink… not that _that_ was new anymore.

_But… It didn't make any sense. I can't figure out what happened… _

No matter how many times he yawned and further messed up his unkempt hair this morning or how many times he faked his normal scowl rather than an exhausted one nothing helped.

Ten Hollows. In one night.

Rukia had told him that as guardians they were to expect no more than one or two hollows every other day, yet last night there had been at least a dozen. Between the one he'd cleansed after being taken from the fair grounds by Rukia and the ones in that stupid _frigging haunted house,_ he'd taken out ten in total. Ten.

The rest roaming and haunting around the sight had been taken out by… _unknown _forces.

_Heh, _Rukia_ wouldn't tell me who and wormed her way out of it by annoying the heck out of me… at _2:00_ in the morning. She's _really_ good at that._

Oh yeah… the _fair ground_.

He hoped they never got another one. _I mean, whose bright idea was it? I'll consider them a bad omen from this day on._

He knew Rukia had been impressed with his display but he honestly couldn't have cared any less. He had other things to worry about.

First of all he was watching closely the behaviour of his friends. After administering the Chikan the night before they'd woken up and taken themselves home. He had no idea what the substitute memory would be like.

But if their behaviour was anything to go by it was probably pretty traumatic.

His eyes came to rest on Tatsuki, Keigo and Mizuiro and like before they were acting odd.

Tatsuki kept glancing at her watch; was seemingly unable to join in with Inoue's conversation, and her leg kept jiggling up and down; a sure sign of agitation and worry.

Mizuiro stole furtive glances out of the window and the door every few seconds or so and didn't even touch his phone.

Keigo was the worst though. Ichigo had been sure he'd blitz through the doors to tell everyone about the fair. Instead he'd been strangely quiet giving weak chuckles to jokes people told and replying with "mmm", to everything anyone said.

It was driving him nuts.

And _God_ was he tired.

Last night, when the call came through on Rukia's Hollow pager they had been halfway across town.

_Just perfect._

When they'd finally arrived there he came just in time to witness his friends being swatted away like flies by a Hollow. Then the Hollow just stopped, sniffed the air like a hungry dog and wandered off to the Haunted House, Ichigo hot on its heels.

All the Hollows had initially congregated there.

And the only thing in there that could be of any consequence…

…Was Mai.

He shoved his fingers through his hair and looked down at his desk top where his elbows where leaned.

All night. _All_ _night_ he'd searched for her. He'd even gone and waited playing the sentry by her abnormally huge house for the first hour. When she didn't show he'd left to scour the west side of town where the residual traces of her energy could be felt. Nothing.

Then there was the inexplicable explosion.

Even Rukia wasn't convinced that it had been caused by Hollows; she looked like she'd been sucker punched after the wave had hit them.

The spiritual pressure hollows give off is tinted with malicious intent and sorrow. The same negative emotions that spurned their change to hollow-dom anyway. The shockwave hit him hard but the energy itself felt brand new and… _clean_. Untainted and… _confused_.

_Yeah… I was confused too_. _And still _Rukia_ kept quiet, the little midget. _

Not like she knew anything about it though. She hadn't made the connection he had.

She hadn't thought for even a minute that Mai was involved in any way to it.

He wasn't sure what happened, actually he had no freaking clue at all what had happened but… it had _felt_ like Mai.

There had been a person underneath that wave. And it had felt painful; as if the process had been agony and frightening which only made his restless need to find Mai all the more urgent. If anyone had bothered to check they would find that it hadn't actually harmed a soul… literally.

The ghost girl Sen had reappeared some time during the dawn hours. She'd found him as he'd wandered once again and, like an idiot instead of going home for the sleep he so desperately needed had searched and searched in the faint hope of any sign of that strange energy.

_I _never_ get any rest anymore._

He'd tried to hone in on it. He'd learnt how to from Mai. For some reason he'd wanted to find it… and _understand _it. A new concept for him. He'd been doing pretty well too, well sort of; it was easier to locate spirits than humans… in fact this would be his first human find. But he'd tried anyway and somehow ended up in front of some guy's sweet shop, Urahara something or other…

_Why the hell would she be _here_ of all places?_

He'd shook his head, slumped, let out a frustrated groan and turned to find the little ghost girl standing _right_ there.

_He jumped back a _little_ startled (not a lot, I mean he's a badass after all right?). "What the?" _

_The three and a half foot tall girl simply waved her little left hand with a calm smile. "Hello."_

"_Er, hi." Then he blinked. "Wait, where did you run off to before?"_

"_I was spaced." She said cheerily._

"_Huh?"_

_Sen nodded eagerly. "There was a light and then I went someplace else. It was weird." She looked around her at a butterfly and giggled as it flew near to her nose. "…But it wasn't here." _

_He frowned perplexed. "…You went somewhere?"_

_She nodded. "Mm hm. But that's okay because they said that if I didn't find you then 'she' would find me and help me instead."_

"_She?"_

"_Mm hm! The one who protects life!"_

"…_Oookay. Who are 'they'?" He said with his hands on his hips._

_She shrugged. "Don't know." He sweatdropped._

_Swell._

"_So let me get this straight. You don't know where you went, who spoke to you or who this 'she' is?"_

"_Uh huh."_

_He sighed and scratched the back of his neck. "Right. Okay, come here, Konso time." _

Rubbing his eyes as he continued to stare down at his desk he waited in the hope that Mai would show, and then he could nag her all he pleased. Screw it, he had the right to outright interrogation; he'd left a ream of texts and messages on her mobile and she hadn't replied. So either she was ignoring him which he wouldn't stand for without serious consequences (he'd make her pay daily for worrying the crap out of him) or she was in serious trouble which made him feel sick to his stomach.

About five minutes before the bell rang Rukia waltzed in and sat next to him saying nothing.

He tried he really did to work up the energy to even _pretend_ to care about where she'd been but gave up after about three seconds. Way too tired.

Two minutes before the bell.

Heavy and fast approaching footfalls could be heard from down the hallway.

"EXCUSE ME… OUT OF THE WAY PEOPLE! MOVE IT SISTER!"

A scuffling sound followed by shouts from other students and exasperated sighs. There was a crash before the footsteps grew closer.

_Wait a sec_…?

A body, a _very_ healthy and _completely_ uninjured looking body collided with door 1-C, spun inside and ended with a dramatic arms out, feet apart pose of triumph. "I made it!"

_No freaking way!_

She looked at him and it took all his strength not to get up and drag her forcibly from the room where he could act on some of his frustrated anxiety.

Mai licked her lips before biting down on them with nervous eyes and furrowed brows.

Hell yes, she should be nervous.

She was here, totally and completely fine. The bandages on her shoulder were absent, she looked fresh and vibrant and… **changed**. There was a moment's stupefied silence, then…

"YOU!"

They both jumped and looked towards the source of the noise.

"You made it!"

He watched as Tatsuki bolted out of her chair, as Keigo jumped over his desk tripping over several book bags in the process, and Mizuiro scramble from behind a desk to ram into and latch onto Mai who stumbled backwards in surprise.

He would have sweatdropped along with the rest of the class if his brain weren't currently trying to catch up to the rest of him.

"What happened to you? Are you ok? We were so worried about you!"

"We thought you'd _died_!"

They were rambling on about something but he wasn't paying attention. He was tired. He hadn't slept. He had a head throb forming. All. Because. Of. Mai: the girl currently standing in front of class in bemusement and totally unconscious of his emotional state.

"Shut up freakasaurus!"

"I am NOT a freakasaurus!"

"Guys I think were _freaking_ her out."

"Where the _hell_ have **you** been?"

It was about as much as he could stand with what little patience he had remaining. Having risen out of his seat with his angry yell he looked nothing short of demonic as he glared hard at his perplexing friend who looked more or less like she wanted to curl up and hide.

Ignoring Rukia who had moved forward during the exchange peeking from the top of her manga he looked around at the rest of the class who were blinking up at him, and then at his friends who were staring at him stupefied.

He sat down fast.

Moving swiftly towards her seat Mai looked at him hesitantly. "W-what do you mean?" She asked with a panicky and fleeting laugh.

He stared at her open mouthed and made a small _are you freaking kidding me _choking/gasping noise in his throat.

"Okay class! Time to study Language!"

Unfortunately with the timely arrival of their teacher Mai didn't say another word. She didn't see Ichigo blink dementedly, a little livid and still stunned into silence as he tried to process the past minute. He took what he hoped was a calming breath and messed up his already mussed up hair as his hands sank into the orange disarray.

The morning had only just begun and already he was ready for the day to be over.

…So of course Rukia had to go and tap him on the shoulder and tell him there was another Hollow to deal with.

"What? _Already_?" Hadn't there been more than enough last night?

Rukia nodded. "Yeah, it's close." She looked at him and sighed. "I know you're tired Ichigo but it doesn't help to complain."

He groaned into his hands. Peering through his fingers to the right he caught Mai casting concerned, confused and culpable looks with those increasingly vivid eyes of hers. Yeah, he'd noticed the difference in them. She genuinely had no idea what his problem was, but that didn't mean that she was off the hook.

He stared rigidly at her and she didn't look away until Miss Ochi ordered them to turn to a certain page in their language books. With a sigh he took up a pencil and scribbled something down covering it with his hand from Rukia's curious eyes. Pushing up from his seat he made his way to the front dropping the note off on route to make up some nonsense excuse to the teacher. Maybe one day, just for the fun of it he'd tell Miss Ochi the truth and wondered with a slight smile how she'd react to being told that he had to leave because he was a shinigami and as such had to slay a nearby Hollow; the job of a death god.

* * *

**Mai**

**Read your messages. I left plenty.**

His message flashed in my eyes throughout the entirety of the first lesson.

Kurosaki and Kuchiki went off to kill Hollows mere minutes after Miss Ochi entered the class room and didn't return… thankfully.

It gave me time; time to read his texts and listen to his messages, time to understand just why he was so irritated with me. And finally I deduced the reason.

…He'd feared for me…

For example…

**Mai, where are you? **Text message, 11:40 pm.

**Ring me as soon as you get this message. **Answering machine, 12:00am.

**I know you were in that Haunted House or at least close by when that thing went off… why do I get the feeling it had something to do with you? Are you hurt or anything? **Answering machine, 12:37am.

**I **_**know**_** you're not at home, I've looked for you everywhere and I mean **_**everywhere**_** but I can't find you. Normally I wouldn't be so annoying but… just call me as soon as you're able. **Answering machine,2:00am.

**I'm getting really bored now Mai. I'm going to go home and stop looking for you soon, maybe get some sleep… I will. **_**For real!**_** Oh come on, where are you? **Answering machine, 2:56am.

**Mai guess what. I learned how to track spiritual energy. I **_**learned**_** it from **_**you**_**. And so I thought it made sense that I use it to **_**find**_** you… So why the hell did I end up outside of a sweetshop at the crack of dawn? **Answering machine, 5:33am.

**Seriously Mai, where the fuck are you? **Text message, 6:00am

He got kind of testy towards the end.

A little astounded with the whole thing I'd been a bit of a blank during my second lesson (thankfully Kurosaki free)… Sitting on my chair and gazing out of the window I licked my lips and wondered for maybe the fifth time how it is that I got so… lucky…

Kurosaki… He'd stayed out all night, hadn't slept a wink just because of the possibility that I wasn't safe.

I tried hopelessly to ignore just how pleasant that reality was. But the feeling that before long I would become more of a headache than I was worth for Kurosaki kept popping up from underneath the surface tarnishing the budding new friendship.

Now I wasn't quite sure what to do with it anyway.

Something I'd noticed about him though, something different now that I was fully _awakened_ and such; I knew he was pretty powerful energy wise but he was holding back unconsciously. And that was a nice and light description of what I felt in that small instance in the classroom.

Strength oozed out of him though through every pore. Even without my ability it was obvious; he could be slouching and crying but you would still be able to detect that strength. It was in his very bones.

Sighing I pulled out my mobile. The class was rowdy enough; nobody would notice if I started texting.

Message to Kurosaki Mobile: _I'm sorry. _

I waited… 5 minutes. 10 minutes, 15… As it got to 20 and nearing the last quarter hour of the lesson I figured he'd probably make me wait a while… or all day depending on how immature the guy really is. But then my cell vibrated and after jumping a little I looked at the message with a sweatdrop.

**Explain.**

Gee… dealing with hollows so early in the morning must have made his already dried up patience and calm crash to a halt.

_I was unconscious the whole night._

**Why?**

…Because _I got _knocked_ unconscious. Haven't you ever been unconscious? _

**No.**

_Single word questions and answers? You're really cranky this morning huh?_

**Okay, how's this? I've only been ah, _saving_ souls for a couple of weeks ergo it's not exactly something I'm used to and before this I was normal... mostly. Ergo I never got knocked out. _Ergo _my lack of experience. ER-FUCKING-GO why you're in the minority and stupid for it. Don't you know how to duck? Oh, and the cranky thing? Yeah, that happens when your friend decides to disappear for the entire night after she's apparently knocked out by an explosion at a fair ground and yours truly goes looking all over Karakura for her with the world's most annoying midget tagging along purely to irritate the crap out of me with useless suggestions… and then this friend goes and asks the stupidest question because apparently her stupidity is in large supply today. Oh, and I've got to dodge a er, _something_… thing, wait a second…**

Well… I was just blown away. That truly was the mother load. The guy could text really fast; I was probably at half speed myself. I almost smiled at the idea that he was texting me in the midst of a hollow battle. Anybody passing at the time would probably see a mobile phone hovering in the air by itself.

I tapped the desk a few times with my fingers as I pondered…

…_You've never been unconscious before?_

**Out of all that, _that's_ what you focus on?**

_I'm curious. _

**Of course you are, except make that nosey and you're spot on.**

_Thank you._

**It wasn't a compliment. And no I've never been unconscious before… I was always able to knock out before _I_ was knocked out… because I'm awesome and I know how to duck, block, counter and move out of the way in time, unlike some.**

_I know how to defend myself perfectly well Kurosaki._

**What about last night then?**

…_That was different._

**Yeah, you can't exactly block an explosion.**

_True_.

…**If that's what really happened.**

_It _is_._

**Uh huh.**

_What's with the 'ergo'._

**What's that got to do with anything?**

_You wrote it four times and threw in a tasteful expletive._

**So? I was stressing my point.**

_Your point being that I'm stupid?_

**Yes.**

_You sure changed you tune about me not being stupid and all._

**That was before you vanished last night along with all the other ghosts in the area.**

…_What?_

**The ghosts, they all disappeared when the explosion hit. Remember that little girl I mentioned? She popped up around dawn this morning. Said she'd been somewhere strange…**

_Anything else?_

**Maybe. If you tell me the truth about what happened last night I'll let you know.**

_What makes you think I haven't already?_

**You've been stalling.**

_Have not._

**Yes you have and I want the truth.**

_The truth? Okay, you go first_.

**Oh no, no we're not doing that.**

_That? Meaning the thing you started weeks ago._

**Mai, seriously I'm tired and not in the mood for…**

Message interrupt: _Are you angry with me?_

**Do you always have to interrupt me?**

…_Are you?_

…**No… Just… concerned I suppose. So are you going to say?**

_Ah sorry Kurosaki, second lecture has officially ended. I have to go._

**Hey wait a minute!**

_Bye! _

Yeah, he was going to track me down later. Luckily, if he stayed away for another lesson I wouldn't see him till after lunch.

I could sense perfectly now the spiritual and physical energy of every single student in the room too. With just a little focus and patience I could sense that Uryu Ishida wasn't just a normal, overly controlled yet probably far more hormonal than I suspect he lets others see, teenager. What he was I couldn't say; his essence wasn't like Kurosaki's. In fact it was the exact opposite to the soul reaper's whatever that meant. But it was special.

He could probably see ghosts too…

…Which would explain the strange speculative but instantly cautious bespectacled stare he bestowed on me through the entirety of my second lesson. I mean he paused occasionally in his quest to wig me out almost as much as Kurosaki but the shy boy seemed to think for the most part that I didn't know he was staring at me.

I didn't know which was worse: Kurosaki's outright staring or Ishida's secretive and slightly odd gaze.

"Did something happen last night Li san?"

With the second period over I was trying to formulate a plan of how best to approach the situation with Kurosaki. Unfortunately… I got nothing. With the class slowly dwindling out of the door I was quite surprised to hear the distinct voice of Uryu Ishida. I looked up to see him standing by my desk looking a little uncomfortable but nonetheless he'd made the first move for a change. Progress.

"In what regard Uryu?"

He flushed a little at hearing his first name being called but I didn't take it to mean a thing. Something I'd noticed about him was that he blushed when more or less any girl referred to him by his first name. This guy was even more hopeless at socialisation than I was.

"You seem… different." He spoke quietly before pushing his glassed unnecessarily up the bridge up his nose. "I also noticed how tired Ichigo Kurosaki appeared to be. He and Rukia Kuchiki left extraordinarily quickly this morning."

So he _could_ sense spiritual energy. And mine too apparently.

I smiled slightly, amused. "You went to the fair last night didn't you Uryu?"

The light glinted off his glasses. "I did no such thing."

"But if you happened across it sometime around 11:30…?"

"…Then I would have happened across a wreck of an amusement park."

"Strange isn't it? How the world can be so turned upside down in the stroke of an instant after being precariously tipped on the edge of that same sword." I said foolishly.

He seemed genuinely puzzled and curious at first before he coughed and raised an eyebrow at me. "A poet Li san?"

"…Sometimes." Then I saw Keigo and Mizuiro burst through the door and head towards me.

Casting a quick glance towards Ishida I spoke. "Er, Uryu you might want to back up a-"

"MAI!"

"Hi Mai!"

Keigo immediately slung an arm over my shoulders as Mizuiro hip-bumped me in greeting. Dragging me from a sweatdropping Uryu they pulled me towards third period, ignoring my pleas for them to let go.

I'd been a little worried before when my friends rushed me this morning. I wondered if they remembered anything of what happened last night. But before I could open my mouth Keigo told me everything.

Everything being _nothing_ _I_ could remember occurring.

Apparently a random _motorcycle gang_ had entered the park, with _guns_ and had started shooting into the air for no apparent reason. They created some sort of havoc before a wayward bullet hit an electrical post causing all the rides to cease functioning. The night had ended with the motorcycle gang being chased off by the cops but not before taking Keigo for a ride… because you know, that happens _all_ the time. Then the three of them had gone looking for me but couldn't find me. They had worried I'd been taken by the motorcycle gang too and since they didn't have their mobiles on them (for some reason) they couldn't check up on me and therefore verify my safety…

Had they smoked pot last night?

Been hit on the head?

What the hell had happened when I was unconscious?

Their memories had been altered, they had to have been. But who could…?

Rukia Kuchiki and Kurosaki maybe… or the mysterious Urahara Kisuke?

But since all the other people in the class seemed to believe them no one questioned the unusualness of the event.

Obviously everyone in the class was extremely gullible.

Somehow Kuchiki happened to be in my pre-lunch class without Kurosaki. I caught _her_ staring at me too. The third person today. She continued to do so until halfway through the lesson when I'd had _enough_ of all the staring for one day and had turned quickly towards her, eyebrows raised in question.

She'd only blinked, tilted her head, smiled politely and gone back to her work.

I needed to sort that out as soon as possible.

When lunch arrived I was kidnapped by the girls. They dragged me and Tatsuki away, road-runner quick, from the boys who stood there silently in shock. Sharing a look of perplexity before being whirled downstairs I heard Tatsuki sigh resignedly. Before we knew it we were outside next to a large tree a little away from the main entrance to the school.

My hair was sticking on end, Tatsuki's shirt was stretched as we both blinked at the girls in front of us: Chizuru, Ryo, Orihime and Mahana, sprawled on the grass oblivious to our stare; like kidnapping your friends was supposed to happen everyday.

We looked back at each other and it opened a dam of laughter.

Then we sat down with them as though we agreed with this illogical scenario.

It was nice, having friends who actually wanted you there, who noticed your absence and subsequently missed you. It helped lull me into a peaceful kind of serenity as I unpacked my lunch.

Last night had been a nightmare, one I wasn't in too much of a hurry to relive… no matter how intrigued I maybe about it. About those Yokai and the Hollows… Seeing those demons once was enough right? I mean really how many more could there be?

* * *

**Urahara Shouten**

"...Thousands, possibly _more _than that." Kisuke Urahara sighed in reply to an unknown question. "Too many to count would probably be more accurate. Like the hollows there could be an infinite amount of them."

A shocked silence reigned over the table in the tea room of the Shouten.

Tessai spoke quietly. "Increases in number such as this do not transpire over night."

"No they do not. However… certain events, certain _changes_ have precipitated this: the ever increasing reitsu in Karakura, the energy dispositions and fluctuations in the atmosphere the uprising of unexplainable anomalies… it all adds up." He sipped his tea.

Confused, the small red headed boy sitting to Urahara's right spoke "It isn't so bad is it? We kick their faces in easy enough when they come around, we'll be fine right?" Ever the brave.

Tessai shook his head, "It's not that simple Jinta."

Urahara paused in his intake of tea. "It _would_ be so simple Jinta… Unfortunately these creatures posses the skills to hide in plain sight. They make for a dangerous enemy." Noticing the child's maintained puzzlement he clarified. "They can phase through plains of existence. Basically they can appear at any time and any place with none of us being the wiser for it. They could literally appear right under your nose… You'd be dead before you even noticed them there."

The child shuddered before barring another face of cocky bravado. "But they aren't even that strong!"

"They're, as far as we know, at the same level as hollows in terms of strength but in terms of success… They are far greater."

Urahara paused to let Tessai continue who looked Jinta straight in the eye through his glasses. "They are primordial creatures and follow a more basic level of instinct. A very violent level of instinct and as such they have a greater amount of accomplishment in their kills."

At the kid's emotional gulp of betrayal Urahara added dryly. "It isn't really something I want to subject you to just yet Jinta."

"R-right."

With a fan in one hand and an indulgent smile on his face he mussed the young red heads hair up with his free hand. "Let me and Tessai deal with the tactics for now Jinta."

"They can… phase?" Asked a confused, sweet looking Ururu.

Urahara hummed in confirmation. "Through the in-between of existence and into our plain." He tapped his fan against his chin. "I would sorely love to know how they do that." He sighed. "Unfortunately I have yet to acquire the knowledge of how they can exist in such a way as such combating them is difficult."

"Now we've got hollows _and_ demons to deal with. That's just great." Muttered Jinta.

All cheery and full of sunshine Urahara tried to coax him. "Oh come on, it's not actually as bad as you think!"

The kid huffed and stuffed rice into his mouth.

"Besides, Ichigo Kurosaki's been handling the hollows quite well so far, we haven't actually had to do much."

"What about the girl?" Asked Tessai.

With a smirk Urahara replied. "…She was attacked last night by Yokai. The situation got a little hairy but she handled it."

The two kids looked towards Urahara. "…But you said that no one can see them? Er, find them? Whatever!" Yelled Jinta spraying rice everywhere.

"Mai Li is far from normal. Somehow she found herself in the presence of these yokai; they don't usually show themselves like that. I think that maybe Mai has a way of locating them… and I intend to make sure she knows just how special she really is. She hasn't got a clue."

Tessai locked eyes with his old friend. "Will she help?"

"She has to." Sighing, Urahara down as Ururu refilled his tea cup. "Sooner or later she'll realise she has no choice."

"…But can she handle it? Until yesterday she was the appearance of a mostly average teenage girl. Is she ready for this?" Tessai asked, concerned. In a sane world the fate of many wouldn't weigh upon the shoulders of a couple of teenagers. But in an _insane_ world the choice had already been made… and it was a necessary choice.

"She'll have to be." Was Urahara's quiet reply.

* * *

**Ichigo**

Now _this _was perfect.

He'd finally gotten the few minutes quiet he'd been begging for all morning.

Coming back to school and having to sit through the snooze fest of a lesson he had before lunch he could now safely get a little shut eye. He leaned his back against the low wall of the roof, eyes shut, breathing deeply, allowing the sun to sweep him away into a tide of unconsciousness.

Or at least it _would_ be perfect if it wasn't for the incessant poking.

_Poke poke poke prod_

His left arm, the victim of such an inconsiderate attack of the evil midget spawn had suffered more than enough that morning slaying hollows. So Ichigo did his utmost to completely ignore it.

_Poke._

…But it was proving _extremely _difficult.

_Poke prod poke poke_

His closed eyelids squeezed together and his hands made tight fists.

_Poke poke poke_

His right eyebrow started to twitch followed in a duet by his left.

_Poke poke prod poke poke prod poke_

His head throbbed.

_poke prod poke prod poke prod poke prod poke prod poke prod poke prod poke prod poke prod poke_

"WHAT? WHAT RUKIA? WHAT IS IT? WHAT COULD YOU _POSSIBLY_ WANT?" She'd done it; she'd finally broken Ichigo Kurosaki.

If it were anybody else he'd have hit them by now… hard.

And he'd caught the unwanted attention of everyone on the roof. One dark glower sent them packing. Still the job was done. He looked back to Rukia with a different kind of glare. Her arms were crossed and he didn't care for it one bit.

"Stop with the poking already!" He spat.

Her eyes rolled. "You're overreacting…" She paused as his cheek twitched.

Cautiously she continued. "Mai Li… don't you think she was acting strange in class today?" She scrutinized his face intently waiting for the answer.

Sleep, _glorious sleep_ had been within his grasp only to be slapped away (or rather poked away)… for _this_?

"Yes. Yes she was acting strange. And honestly, right now I couldn't care less. Not when I'm _this_ tired _Rukia_!" He stared angrily at her for a second (it didn't faze her) before sighing and leaning back against the wall. "You want to know more? Find out yourself. Ask her nimrod. Now unless you want me to sleep on the job tonight go away. I need my 20 minutes." And with that he closed his eyes.

He heard her mutter something along the lines of 'cranky ass' as she got up and crossed the roof to the door leading downstairs.

Allowing his body to relax he scowled. Rukia had watched, sweatdropping, as he cut through hollows all the while texting on his phone. Dodging then texting, dodging then cursing and then texting yet again. He'd made having a silent argument whilst slaying hollows into a god damn art form if he did say so himself.

Whilst being completely unsatisfying the so called conversation had told him one thing. Mai had been unconscious the whole night.

And she was lying to him… but then again so was he.

It made for an interesting friendship.

…He figured she wouldn't tell Rukia anything anyway (at least not before _him_: she owed him BIG time) so he let himself drift…

…Mmm… sleep…

* * *

**Mai**

"Mai, would you like to try some of my egg-plant-bean-jam and leek sandwich mix?"

I yakked on my own sandwich. A sumptuous mix of turkey, ham, tomato, lettuce and cucumber on a thick, soft bread roll. In respect to culinary expertise Jihi always told me to never do things by half.

But… Dear God… Orihime…

That sounded absolutely disgusting.

Tatsuki told me she always cooked up strange food but this was taking the biscuit! No pun intended. How did Princess survive on that stuff?

And I didn't need Tatsuki trying to signal me from behind said girl to know not to accept the gross concoction.

"Ah… n-no thank you Orihime, I'm good with this." I motioned to my sandwich. She nodded happily and resumed tucking into a… whole… loaf… of… bread. Normally I eat loads, trust me, but _damn_.

She perked up over her loaf as she chewed. "I wonder what's wrong with Kurosaki kun this morning. He looked really tired didn't he Tatsuki?"

I shoved my sandwich back into my face in the hope of not being called to question all the while listening intently. I'd been wondering for a while now if anybody actually came even remotely close to the mark about Kurosaki and his secret endeavours.

Tatsuki waved a dismissive hand through the air. "I wouldn't worry about it. He didn't sleep well that's all. I asked him earlier and he said everything was fine." She shrugged.

What? That's it? No one even suspects a thing? I wiped butter off my nose as I stared incredulously at the group.

Then Chizuru opened her mouth. "Don't worry about _him_ Orihime; worry about _me_. I'm just dying here without your-"

"CAN IT CHIZURU!" Tatsuki bellowed shoving a flying kick in the direction of the pheromone obsessed girl.

Everyone completely ignored this and I followed suit.

"So why were we kidnapped anyway?" I asked just in case there was an actual reason behind the random act.

"Oh yeah! We completely forgot about that didn't we?" Mahana had, well _all_ of them had the attention span of a mouse, obviously.

Chizuru took her place in the conversation, face miraculously clear of bruises. "We wanted to know if anything juicy happened last night at the fair!" Ah, of course. I smiled amiably at Tatsuki who smirked back.

Michiru jumped up. "Yeah, what were the rides like?"

"Did you have a good time?"

"How late did you stay out?"

"How was it like hanging out with Keigo and Mizuiro?"

"I considered asking Mizuiro out once you know?" Said Ryo nonchalantly.

I blinked.

Mahana stared at her long time friend with large eyes. "No way Ryo! Really? You never told _me_!"

"Didn't realise I had to."

"Ryo!"

Just as the debate went full swing I glanced up just in time to see Rukia come striding purposefully out through the front doors, her eyes immediately landing on me. Oh boy…

It seemed she'd finally found the time to have that talk.

"Hey is that Rukia?" Asked Mahana as though she were miles away and unrecognisable.

Ryo looked up from her manga. "_Obviously _Mahana she's standing _right_ there in plane sight… and is now walking towards us."

"Shut up Ryo, I never see her during lunch."

"She _has_ to eat Mahana."

"I KNOW Ryo!"

A frown formed slowly on my forehead as I watched her eyes narrow dangerously at me.

Ah… I see. You aren't here for _just_ a friendly chat.

Her absolutely determined expression proved that; she was on the attack. She came closer and I slowly rose from my previously relaxed position to a now on guard standing one. Her focus forced me to react with equal intensity and I saw her expression turn towards outright alarm for a moment as my gaze required her to unconsciously rethink her strategy.

Something from the deep rose up behind my eyes and it almost swallowed me whole.

For one incredibly intoxicating second I felt the almost overwhelming urge to just… crush her. To force her to her knees before taking all her worth; her innocence, her naivety, her guilt, her loyalty and her hope before ripping out her soul and feeding it to my own…

Cruel Monster.

Blinking back to myself and pushing down the pure violence of that thought I caught her cautious gaze and raised an eyebrow. Hopefully I didn't look as fearful and repugnant as I felt; I figured I looked good enough. That reservoir of strength I'd woken up with was already pumping through my veins ignoring my efforts to squash it. What was I even _reacting_ to?

After a second a beaming smile spread like water flowing across her face.

The query for her health spluttered and died on my lips.

Rukia stood right in front of me, a good half foot smaller and gazed up at me we deep blues orbs. Oh geez… Kurosaki had called her the 'annoying midget' for a reason right? Well here it was.

"Hello there Mai! Might I speak to you in private? It'll only take a minute I promise!"

And I couldn't help the sweatdrop.

Her tone was so happy it was persuasive in the worst possible way.

No one talked that way around here. It was as if she'd failed to learn common colloquialism.

I nodded, unsure of what to do and the others watched as I left them to finish lunch without me. Making sure to keep one step behind her I watched her arms cross over her stomach. We moved to an area of relative silence; somewhere around the side of building with no students in sight. Here Rukia Kuchiki lost all sight of her previous cheer, the flowing water smile and struck me a perceptive, frosty stare. Her chin poised in my direction, her features and tight lipped frown like ice.

But not necessarily as cold.

I clasped my hands and waited. If I was being honesty I actually wanted her friendship. I was slowly getting used to the idea of having decent friends but Rukia… she was like Kurosaki… like me…

As the saying goes: freaks should stick with their own kind.

If I didn't know any better I'd say she'd died already.

The only logical conclusion I could think of was that she was a soul reaper too. Except that Kurosaki was human. And alive. _And_ a high school student with problems like every other teen. The stories featuring the Grim Reaper told of a being of neutrality. A protector of the balance, a creature both living and dead but nothing more.

Obviously the bards had got it wrong.

"Last night…" She began as she gave me a good once over. "What did you see?"

Straight to the point. Good. Such a direct question deserves a direct answer.

I tilted my head down at her passively. "Absolutely everything."

For a moment she just stared at me seriously. Then she nodded and sighed. "…That's what I thought."

Then, quick as a flash she brought her hand up to my face, clicked a button and a small bang went off in my eyes. Staggered, I fell down.

Dazed I looked up. I could have stopped her so why hadn't I? Oh yeah… because it was completely unexpected. From now on Mai expect the unexpected you fool.

"It's a memory Chikan." I heard her say. "When you wake you won't remember this _or _last night. I'm sorry… but it would be much too risky for you t-"

A strangled gasp hissed out of her lips as my foot struck out and hit her square in the stomach. Her shocked eyes widened as she flew a few feet backwards to the ground.

Standing leisurely and unconcerned I looked down at Rukia's shaking form as she took slow deliberate breaths.

Then I strode forwards…

* * *

**Rukia**

_Why hadn't it worked? It _should_ have worked._

_For a human the girl's energy was potent; it made my hair stand on end._

_Both luckily and unluckily Ichigo hadn't noticed a thing so I decided to keep it that way._

_We're vulnerable as it is at the moment especially with the upswing of hollows closing in on us. Good thing Urahara arrived in time to help last night or we would have lost a lot of lives including our own._

_If the girl had anything at all to do with the circumstances last night; in the effort to decrease danger I took away crucial memories._

She was supposed to collapse, unconscious with her memory erased. It was necessary.

Instead Mai had kicked her. Hard.

_I hadn't even seen it coming_. Coughing and wheezing the breath back into her Rukia managed to turn her head away from the ground. Free from inhaling mud and grass she tried to uncoil from the ball she'd curled up in.

"I never did respond well to attacks on my person."

Rukia stilled.

She heard the slow and steady footsteps to her right and looked to see the official school shoes and idiosyncratic pants that Mai Li wore striding confidently towards the trees in her peripheral.

The feet stopped and bent to pick up something from the grass. Turning it over in her fingers Mai turned still crouched to a bewildered Rukia.

She gestured her hand. "You called this a chikan? What does it do, alter memory?"

Discombobulated and feeling utterly vulnerable for some reason Rukia nodded.

Mai Li's eyes had the disconcerting ability to force you rigid; to see into you in a way that even Rukia's brother couldn't manage.

Even as the school girl pondered over the Kiokuchikan she was able to render Rukia Kuchiki, soul reaper and member of the noble house of Kuchiki silent.

The soul reaper started when she realised this.

_I, a woman (even if I do only look about 16 yrs old), for no matter how brief the second, had been intimidated by a teenage girl whom I could beat in experience by over a 100 years by just a simple act of force and one short cold-bloodied stare…_

_Nonsense!_

Rukia Kuchiki couldn't afford to let a teenager frighten her.

Squaring her shoulders and moving to stand she yelped, _yelped _when she found Mai Li crouched _right_ _there_ in front of her. _When did she move over here? I didn't even notice!_

"You see this?" The girl presented the chikan twirling it in her fingers.

Rukia looked at the chikan then back to Mai and her steel gaze.

"…This was unnecessary."

_I think I'm beginning to realise that._

"I consider it to be threatening… and like I said I don't respond well to threats."

Her experience hardened gaze actually taking a turn towards panicked Rukia shook it off and looked back with regal confidence.

"It was something I deemed well within my rights to-_MMHH!_" Her words cut off as she gasped and coughed yet _again_, her eyes widening in alarm and surprise.

Having your throat whacked by a hand a third bigger than your own can do that.

Still crouched but lowering her hand Mai Li observed Rukia as she wheezed and spluttered with seemingly calm and reflective eyes. "It was kind of like that. Having your words die on you, your only defence for you memories being stripped away as your head gets infiltrated then pilfered and wiped clean."

Breathless Rukia stared at the teen with watering eyes. Mai nodded; seemingly satisfied that Rukia at least understood the anxiety of such an act.

She smiled, not in a friendly way, in a sad way. _It was sad_. "Not pleasant is it. Please don't do it again… it doesn't appear to work on me anyway."

With that Mai Li pushed upwards to stand. Rukia heard her sigh as she turned to walk back towards her friends.

_How an earth could a girl her age have such intense and downright frightening eyes? And then how could those eyes morph into such a poignant sight that my breath would catch?_

_I'd never seen the use of the chikan in such a way. As a violation. But the recipients never remember anyway so it was convenient. But to someone who did remember…_

…_Still. To react so fiercely…_

…_And to somehow do it without so much as a hint of aggression…_

_Mai Li you are a conundrum._

_And there's no way that I'm letting you go after that._

Getting to a stand she watched as Mai walked away with hunched shoulders.

With a determined expression on her face Rukia ran towards her back yelling as she jumped in the air and looking at Mai's face as the girl turned her head to stare at her taken aback.

Bewildered eyes freaked as Rukia's foot crashed into the side of her head.

Mai let out a startled cry as she fell to the floor with her ass in the air.

Classy, right?

Puffing proudly Rukia stood in triumph over her foe. "Hah! That was for the kick, the next is for the neck!"

"…Oh really?"

Glancing down Rukia grinned in satisfaction at the small smile on Mai's features.

"_Really_."

…And promptly face planted as Mai's foot caught her leg unawares.

_Mai Li's a quick one alright..._

* * *

**(Mai) A few minutes later…**

"…So why _do_ you use chikan?"

Staring up at the sky Rukia answered. "It's merely a preventative. The world isn't ready to know about the existence of soul reapers… I'm not sure it ever will be."

"So you're protecting Kurosaki?"

"I am."

"I see."

I never thought it would end like this. I thought for sure that with me being, well, _me_ earlier I'd have forsaken any possible friendship I could have ever had with her. But Rukia was such a tomboy at heart that she actually picked a fight with me. Albeit a playful one but still…

…We both looked a little roughed up… her more so than me but it wasn't like I went all out.

Now we were lying parallel to each other as we gazed up at the blue sky. Somehow our little bonding moment (the strangest bonding ritual I've ever seen between two girls) had opened a kind of gate inside of Rukia. Once she could gage that I new more than I should and that I wasn't exactly normal myself she began explaining some things to me that I hadn't understood before.

_I panted as we flopped simultaneously down on the grass. "…W…why was he so shocked… to see you that first day you came to school?"_

_Chest heaving Rukia wiped away the sweat on her forehead. "I-it's a… a long story." We had maybe ten minutes of lunch left if that._

"_Condense it for me then."_

_She smiled at me and watched me flop back on the grass. Then she took a breath. "Ichigo thought that I had returned to my home after he killed the hollow… he didn't know that taking my powers would render me defenceless." Then she flopped on the ground with me; her feet reaching just past my head._

"_Pretty day." I remarked._

"_Mm hm."_

"…_I can't tell you what happened last night. In fact I was sworn to secrecy. But I promise that I'm no danger to you and definitely not to Kurosaki. You have nothing to fear from me…." I lifted my head up slightly so that she could see my conviction. "…Ever."_

_She looked like she believed me._

"_Who helped you last night?"_

"_Sworn to secrecy Rukia."_

"…_It was Kisuke Urahara wasn't it?" What part of 'sworn to secrecy' did she not understand?_

"…_Yes."_

"_Thought so."_

_It was silent for a minute. "Be careful Mai. Urahara's generous but he has secrets. He probably knows more about you than you do by now."_

_I shrugged completely unconcerned. "He's curious… and I'm not foolish. I know that he has his own reasons for helping but I'm pretty sure they're harmless. At least for now anyway."_

_Another minute passed. "You think a lot don't you?" I asked._

_Rukia blinked. "Huh?"_

_I smiled. "You rarely voiced your opinions to the people around you. You keep it all locked up."_

"_Is that a bad thing?"_

"_Not at all. It's just quiet." I inhaled content in the slight warmth of the sun. "And at this moment quiet is appreciated."_

"Lunch has almost ended. I need to get back to Ichigo."

Knocked from my pensive perch I looked up and saw Rukia rise from the ground. I looked at my watch; she was right.

She brushed off her dress and watched me stand up too. "How did you become friends with him?" She asked frankly.

Blinking I straightened my pants. "Kurosaki? Er, specific friendship or first acquaintance?"

"When did you really become friends?"

Chewing on my lip at the memory I couldn't help but smile. "In the boy's bathroom a few weeks ago."

She frowned puzzled. "You made friends in the boy's bathroom?"

I nodded cheerfully. "Then he chased me through the school."

"Ichigo… chased… you?"

"Yes, yes he did." I said seriously and tried not to react to Rukia's wide and disbelieving eyes.

Lost for a moment on how to respond Rukia crossed her arms. "Huh… I honestly can't see him doing something like that."

"Well it took me by surprise too."

Then I saw her blink and give a harsh shake of her head. "Back up a second; why were you in the boy's bathroom _Mai Li_?"

I looked quickly at my watch. "Oh look at the time! Lunch is almost over!"

"Oh look at that! What great timing."

"Oh isn't it."

Then I watched as moved over to a pipeline running directly down the side of the building we were next to. Sweatdropping I saw her grasp the pipe with both hands and pull herself up off the ground as she began to climb… up… the… wall.

"Oh, the more _conventional_ methods of walking I see." I said as I worried for her sanity.

Rukia's petit face turned to look at me with a grin. "Trust me. I'm a pro at this!"

She's a pro at scaling the school's structure?

I blinked and tilted my head to the side as Rukia climbed ever upward. "It's a good thing I'm not a guy. That skirt doesn't cover a thing…"

* * *

**Ichigo**

_...Is it weird that I'm actually a little worried?_

Having rushed off at the start of lunch he'd figured he'd been given a break from the machinations of his soul reaper teacher. He'd gotten his twenty minutes but it hadn't been enough. He desperately needed a full night's sleep.

Rubbing his hand over the haggard skin of his face he checked his mobile. Nope, no calls or messages. He was hopeless at sensing reitsu, especially Rukia's given that she barely had any left and he was far too tired to try Mai's technique. It was… much more of a physical thing and, he found, much more personal. Easier but private.

It came with feelings. He was surprised he could do it all.

Then he heard a scuffling noise from behind him followed by a quiet curse.

He frowned.

There was nothing but concrete wall behind him. He moved to look over the side thinking that there was just no way… that…

"Rukia… what the hell are you doing?" He sweatdropped.

His oh so fabulous guide was climbing the plumbing. Rather than use the stairs she'd rather climb the _plumbing_.

"You know this says a lot for your mental state." He said indifferently as he looked down at the wheezing soul reaper.

"Shut up." She hissed.

He raised an eyebrow as he tried to cover a yawn. "What, were you trapped a lot as a kid? Felt the need to escape at all?"

Concentrating on the task before her she answered quietly. "You have no idea how ironic that is. Has anyone noticed?"

"That I'm talking to myself over the wall of the roof?" He looked around at his friends as they cleared away their lunches. "Were safe."

"Good. Now… can I have some help?"

"What? You can't do it by yourself?" Nonetheless he reached down, with an eye roll, and grabbed one her tiny hands before pulling upwards and hauling her onto the roof top.

Dusting herself off with a polite thank you neither of the analogous friends noticed Keigo look around.

"WHOA! RUKIA! WHERE DID YOU COME FROM?" He spazzed with one arm spread wide in front of him as the other pointed at her.

Fumbling for an answer she heard Ichigo sigh.

"It's a magic trick. Ta da." He said straight faced.

The whole roof top stared at him.

"You know, the 'now you see her, now you don't' trick? I've only just got it to work. What do you think?" They all watched as Rukia gave a professional little curtsey.

A moments silence…

"That… was… INCREDIBLE! REALLY THE BEST MAGIC TRICK EVER. SERIOUSLY! I DIDN'T EVEN SEE HER COME BACK!"

Ichigo looked back down at Rukia with another yawn. "See? Dealing with Keigo is easy."

He bent down to retrieve his bag and managed to glance over the roof wall to the ground around the side of the building… just in time to see Mai Li walking off in the opposite direction.

He paused, blinked and then leaned over the side. "OI! MAI! UP HERE!"

The girl stopped abruptly, looked up and around to behind her. When she caught sight of him she smiled and gave a small unsure wave.

He waved back. "HEY, WHAT DID YOU DO TO RUKIA?" He shouted for all to hear and not caring one bit. "SHE LOOKS LIKE SHE'S BEEN ROUGHED UP!"

"Hey! I'm not the only one who looks bad! Geez!" Rukia huffed, insulted and blushing.

Totally ignoring her, Ichigo waited for Mai's response eagerly. Whatever had happened it had to be interesting.

He didn't quite hear her. "…BO-D-G!"

Keigo whipped around. "Did she just say _bondage?_"

In shock Ichigo let his mouth fly away from him. "BONDAGE!"

"_WHAT_?" She shouted back from the ground. "BONDAGE? THAT'S NOT… OH! NO, I SAID B-O-N-D-I-N-G!"

"OH!" He nodded with an 'oh so that's what you said' expression.

_**RRRRRRIIIIIIINNNNNNGGGGGGG!**_

Rukia slapped the palm of her hand to her forehead. "Idiots. She's going to get accosted by the girls…"

Ichigo, intrigued, looked her way. "What do you mean?"

Making her way across the roof top she slapped his arm. "What do you think stupid? You just announced to half the building that you thought me and Mai were into bondage!"

"Oh… right."

"Idiot."

* * *

**Mai**

…That went down well.

Dreading the walk back to my waiting friends, Kurosaki's shout of 'BONDAGE' still ringing in my ears I found them all standing, amused with an energetic Chizuru pushing her way to the front to ask me _extremely_ specific questions. I shudder to think what she does with her free time.

Worse still was Orihime's perplexed expression of innocence as she asked the group what bondage actually was.

Tatsuki just offered me one long knowing smile and an eye roll.

By the time we got back to class I was going over some of the more intense emotions I'd felt earlier. The pure violence of my reaction to Rukia's opposing and forceful gaze, the calmness of my counter to her memory substitute threat and then the overall peace post play fight.

But the darkness…

Maybe Rukia _did_ have every good reason to consider me a threat. But… well she could have just talked to me I suppose instead of immediately going for the chikan. It wasn't like I was dangerous or anything…

A flash of memory hit me again. Last night I'd been pretty ruthless… even if it was born from a necessity to survive… But I wasn't like that usually! I _could_ control my temper. Was what I had felt even remotely related to my temper? But fear makes people react differently. Fear obviously makes _me_ aggressive. Yeah… yeah that makes sense…

_Outstanding_… I reacted to danger _viciously_ rather than obeying the cerebral cortex's defensive mechanism; the fight or flight instinct. I chose to fight what seemed to be death dealing odds.

…I was a… what am I?

Sighing hours later, I walked with my herd of friends to the open doors of the main building. Smiling softly as the breeze hit me, I watched Orihime talk animatedly to an utterly perplexed Kurosaki about all the special things she could do with bean paste, butter, wasabi and cod roe. Tatsuki, sharing a peaky glance with me, Mizuiro and Keigo attempted to change the subject onto more steady waters to which Orihime stroke up a lively debate about how she thought all the teachers in school were really automated machines with hidden cameras behind their eye sockets to record student activities to their home base in the Arizona desert…

To this Kurosaki quietly agreed, about the robot part that is. Adjusting his back over one shoulder he looked off into the distance, the black circles under his eyes made the more obvious by the afternoon light.

We'd exchanged notes in class again today. The flying paper aeroplane landing softly in the nest of my hair the first lesson after lunch distracted me from my note taking. I'd looked behind me at Kurosaki, watching as he stretched and yawned and nodded at the paper in my hand. The other students in-between me and him had not so furtively looked up at us with interest. This was without a doubt the most boring class I'd experienced at Karakura High so far; the teacher never once looked away from his chalkboard anyway and half the class were whispering amongst themselves, texting or reading magazines.

Unfolding the paper I looked at the surprisingly soft scrawl.

**Rukia said I needed to apologise. So… I'm sorry.**

…_For what?_

**Damned if I know.**

_Damned if you _do_ know too._

**There is that. So hey.**

_Erm, hi._

**I'm bored. Tell me what happened between you and Rukia?**

_We bonded._

**That's what she said. Come on, I need details or I'll fall asleep again. Worse I'll fall asleep when I'm saving souls and, well, whatever!**

Him being tired was making him a little loosed lipped.

_Okay I'll tell. Rukia tried to… _do _something. I didn't like it. So I reacted… badly. She understood. Then she reacted back. Hard. But it was fun, it turned into a play fight and… we bonded. Rukia's tough… well for someone so short anyway._

**Yeah, she's a midget alright. And annoying. **

…_She's… nice. I thought she didn't like me, that she didn't trust me._

**Wait… She doesn't trust you? Why shouldn't she? Where have _I_ been?**

_Off in dream land and I said that she _didn't_ trust me. Past tense. Now she does._

**Oh. So I missed something and it resolved anyway. Okay.**

_And she genuinely cares about you._

**Ah… _okaaayyyy_…**

_Yes, I know. You're a guy and this is the part where guys say, 'feelings! Me? Hah! I'm a dude, I don't do feelings!'_

**What the hell was that?**

…_Erm, well Pei told me that guys are weird-ed out by overly affectionate females. And that they don't like to talk about feelings and such. Did she advise me wrong?_

**Hell yes! I'm not just some unfeeling bastard you know! But that being said… I suppose guys do find it more difficult to talk about that stuff - hey, wait a sec… affectionate feelings? Who, Rukia? You? Rukia is as far as they come from being affectionate. I'll admit that she's nice and she can be kind but affectionate? Hell will freeze long before she becomes that. And you… I don't spend enough time around you to honestly know whether you are or not. So far though… I'd say you're incredibly thoughtful of the people around you. I admire that. **

_You should seeing as you're the same way._

…**Maybe. So Rukia's nice to you?**

_She has an impish side that cannot be denied._

**Yeah, I've _definitely_ seen that side. Though replace it with annoying you've got the general gist of what she's like.**

_I didn't tell her anything you know, about last night._

**Oh.**

_But I did tell her some of things that I do know._

**You did? Are you going to tell me or do I have to wait for Rukia to tell me?**

_Kurosaki, I know I'm asking much but can you wait just for one day? There's something I need to do first before I tell you everything._

**Wait, I wasn't asking for _everything_. I just wanted to know what you told Rukia.**

_The same thing implies._

**Is it something bad? **

_No. Just something… difficult to explain._

**One day huh? _Fine_. Besides with how tired I am I probably won't remember this conversation in an hour anyway. Did you see the scribble lines from where I repeated words? Three times in a row? God I just want to sleep.**

_Then go to bed early tonight._

**Okay Mai, you may not yet know _all_ the details but still you _do_ know that I can't.**

…_Can I do anything to help you?_

**No. But thanks… for the offer.**

_No problem. You know we do this a lot don't we?_

**Do what?**

_Writes notes to each other. We should just talk; it's a waste of paper and it makes us look odd._

**Yeah but that would be the _logical_ thing to do. For someone who's stupid like you and someone who's exhausted like me it wouldn't make much sense anyway. Let's not start pretending we're normal _now_.**

…_You're more derisive when you're tired._

**I know. I'm the only one in my family who's like that too. But sarcasm _is_ kind of fun.**

_I thought sarcasm was the lowest form of wit?_

And with that I saw him look down at the note for a moment before he scrunched it into a ball and lobed it at my head. Then he stretched and yawned again before collapsing onto his desk.

Shaking my head at the memory I noticed that Kurosaki hadn't turned away from the spot that he'd been staring. In fact he'd slowed down enough that we passed him earning him several curious stares from his friends.

"Are you o.k. Ichigo?" Asked Mizuiro.

Keigo popped up behind the orange headed teen. "Whatcha looking at buddy?"

He shook his head vaguely. "…It's nothing."

"Kurosaki?" I asked concerned.

He looked at me, sighed and turned to look back at his previous capture. "Those guys…" Kurosaki began, quiet and serious as he frowned towards a few of the upper class men across the quad. "…They've been staring and pointing at… _us_ since we exited the main building."

Why had he paused? I moved forward to stand next to him and found his hand grazing the arm of my blazer.

"Wait…" He murmured so no one else could hear.

Frowning I looked at his face catching the warning in his eyes. Then I glanced over at the group he'd pointed out and realised the basis for his hesitance. The students were looking and gesturing at _me_. Just me. Obviously they'd heard something or figured that they had and were now, _lovingly_, spreading it around like a wildfire.

My eyes closed in exasperated irritation, wondering what on earth the rumour would be about this time. The looks on their faces weren't malicious or gossip eager but they weren't pleasant either.

"You alright?" Kurosaki asked calmly.

"Hmm. It isn't the first time this has happened."

Tatsuki slung her bag over her left shoulder and tightened the strap as she pondered at the students. "Actually, some guy in the year above us came up to me today and asked me if I hung around with you."

I blinked. Kurosaki's head tilted to look back at his old friend.

"Yeah I was there too." Offered Mizuiro. "The guy asked whether your name really was Mai Li and whether or not we really hung out with you." Mizuiro took a second to pause in thought. "…He looked really shocked when we said that we did. He was kind of puzzled, like he couldn't understand why we'd be hanging around with you in the first place." Mizuiro shook his head and pulled out his phone. "What a weirdo."

My whole world began to turn on its axis.

"Is that all?" I ventured passively as if to push back the possible horror of what I believed it to be.

Mizuiro and Tatsuki shrugged. "Pretty much." They said in unison.

"Come to think of it…" Began Orihime and I started to panic. Her too?

She put a finger to her chin. "…A boy in class asked me if it was true that you were into bondage."

For a moment I just stared at her. Then a small blush worked its way across my cheeks and I glanced away shyly only to find Kurosaki doing the same as he scratched the back of his neck.

It didn't help that Keigo, Mizuiro and _Tatsuki_ (traitor) were laughing at us while Orihime watched them wondering what it was she'd said that was so funny.

I held up a hand to Kurosaki before he could utter a word. "It's alright, you already apologised."

After the chuckling died down Keigo wandered up to me as he stretched happily. "So, do you know those guys Mai?" Asked Keigo.

I shook my head. "No… probably just some rumour or other. I'm not exactly the most normal of students."

"What's so good about being normal?"

I looked back at Kurosaki and his mellow voice. He was giving me that look again; evaluating my every move, telling me that he knows how odd I am and yet letting me see that he still thinks that I might be worth knowing anyway.

He looked at our group. "We're all the way _we_ are…" he indicated his head roughly to the staring group of seniors. "They're who _they_ are. What's the problem?"

"Live and let die?" I said softly to him with an appreciative smile.

He nodded once. "Exactly."

Coming to the corner from the school I knew I had to split from them. Urahara was waiting to debrief me. Another thing though; where was Seigi? I'd expected him to show today, I'd worried…

…I wanted to hit him… and thank him.

Ah well… onwards to Urahara.

And away with my halcyon days.


	7. There go my Halcyon Days

**Hi, sorry for the wait but... somewanker stole my memory stick last week and I had to start this chapter again from scratch.**

**But it didn't end up too badly so all's well.**

**Memory25: Hi new reviewer of my story. Yes, I hope I'll recieve some more reviews soon but it's the reader's choice and I won't _force_ anyone to do so... (looks stealthily from side to side). Anyway, sorry about the allignment but I've gotten used to having the words dead centre of the page and if I change it now it'll look wierd. And about the Yokai... this chapter should explain some more for you. It's about to get interesting.**

**Shaybo27: You know, I love reading your reviews. You explain precisely what you thinking, what you like and what you hate. It's great. Oh and the laughing thing? When I first got into reading fanfiction I didn't explain to my fmaily what it was I doing so they'd sometimes come across me giggling to myself in a corner or cursing at the computer screen... at times I even cried and the faces they'd pull whenever they'd pass where hilarious. They had no clue and they actually worried about me. Invisible Ichigo with the phone? Of course it would happen at some point and it _had_ to happen in my fic... plus it would be kind of funny as hell. Could you image him talking to someone over the phone while he was fighting say Ulquiorra? I should really write that shouldn't I? I'm going to expand on the whole thing...**

**Oh one last thing. This chapter is a bit talkative. The next will have tonnes of action in it but there things that needed to be said here so...**

**Voila!**

**Sorry if the above was a bit rushed.**

Disclaimer: I don't dare own Bleach.

Chapter 6:

**There go my Halcyon Days**

_A journey of a thousand miles must begin with a single step_

_Sometimes, taking the first step is the most difficult thing to do_

_Your destiny is in your hands_

_You must grasp it before it's too late_

**Lao-Tzu**

It wasn't late. The afternoon sun still shone brightly enough to raise your hand against it; and I did. The breeze in the air provided the calm to the storm I'd been trying to subdue within me.

Leaving my friends at a corner near to the school made me feel somewhat like I was stepping into untouched territory. Realising I was headed off into the opposite direction of my home Kurosaki had glanced at me with that now weary scowl of his. He'd taken approximately five seconds try to think of why before mentally succumbing to his tiredness and failing. He'd looked darkly to his left at an obnoxiously happy Rukia Kuchiki before turning on his right foot and heading off towards home. But I could understand the confusion…

Normal school girls didn't trapeze off towards a grown mans store to discuss the inner workings of a town that I was beginning to perceive and refer to as a living organism.

It wasn't so much a shot in the dark as it seemed really. I'd once referred to the town's quality as an ocean of energy; thick with rich verve… only now it didn't feel quite as difficult to walk through as it did once before. In fact it felt lighter making it more tolerable. You could equate it to breathing; where it had once felt similar to trying to do so with a pillow pressed against my face, now it was just a simple fog.

So deep in my thoughts I almost missed the sliver of light to my left.

I'd rounded a corner a few minutes before reaching my destination point only to be distracted by this anomaly. Straight away I was enamoured by the silver like shimmer as it solidified and formed the one person I didn't think I'd see today.

"Hello." Seigi uttered quietly.

Blinking at him I took a step towards him. "Hello."

He smiled and I blinked again caught off guard by its depth. Remembering last night I recalled how he hadn't really smiled at all. And this smile… it told of a peace few find in their lives.

"I came to say thank you… and to say goodbye."

I nodded slowly realising this to mean that he'd finished whatever it was he'd set out to accomplish, but…

…To thank me?

What did I do to deserve thanks other than to make worse an already gruesome situation?

Watching me closely Seigi shook his head as if he knew exactly what it was I thinking. Still smiling he took a step closer to me and placed his hands deep into his pockets.

The wind carried with it its own song but it did nothing to alter him. His hair didn't blow and his shirt didn't flutter.

He looked like a living statue; grey and motionless.

"I reappeared just as the cops found my body." He began. "They called my parents and… I don't think they'll ever get over it but they got some closure. It's what I always wanted." Looking at me closely he indicated his head. "And you did that so… thank you."

Shuffling my feet I looked away from him. "I didn't really do anything…"

"You did enough."

My eyes flickered back to him in time to see his smile widen. Mystified at the look I was receiving; the expression that drew the picture of his obvious trust and admiration of me, made me tilt my head and frown. "You don't fear me?"

My disbelief was founded in the memory of my aggression. I can still hear the resounding crack of bone against brick as my brutal fingers made quick work of his skull. If Seigi had seen me last night there's no way he'd be comfortable around me. But here he was with no apparent qualms about being in my presence.

"No…" But then he looked down at the floor to my right. "…But I was."

"…What?"

His eyes flickered shyly back to mine. "I think it would have been pretty dim of me think that you were just a normal girl. But then you gave off this light and it felt like I was in the presence of something ancient."

"Ah… are you telling me you were afraid of me because I feel… old?"

Was this something I should feel insulted about?

He blinked and then laughed. "No that's not what I meant… At the moment that you were brightest I couldn't do anything to control the outcome of what you were about to do." He lifted his hands in a kind of helpless pose.

Something about that bothered me. What would Pei call him? Oh… such a guy. Did all guys hate a lack of control or was it something to do with their opposites holding the reigns?

Seeming to realise how he might have sounded he elaborated. "It's just that when you were like that… no matter how light you shone you were …_entrenched…_ in darkness. It was kind of scary… and it was something I couldn't do anything about." He peered at me. "…You could have done anything to me at that one moment Mai. And you did. You sent me away." He said calmly without malice or fear.

I leaned backwards on one leg to look at him. "No. No that wasn't me, I didn't do that." I _couldn't_ do that… I denied vehemently.

"It was you and you did." He replied smiling kindly.

"You said you reappeared? Where did I… _send_ you to?"

He sighed. "You know I suppose this town should be grateful at how thoughtful you are." Staring off into the centre of Mitsumiya he cleared his throat. "…I don't remember much of what happened but I do remember the feeling it gave me. The place was _alive_… and I was surrounded by black. I was unable to understand where I was or what I was doing there… but I was safe. I knew that I was safe." Then he frowned and looked back at me. "Actually it felt a little bit like you."

Oh…Okay.

How does a person respond to something like that?

"…It did?" I settled for that.

He nodded.

If for just a moment I thought about what he'd said…

…Immediately I was surrounded by darkness, by an existence without description. Where the past met the present, where secrets were kept clandestine, and where nothing was anything and anything was nothing. A void. A place filled with untouched knowledge so profound and ancient that it couldn't possibly be comprehended by mere human intelligence… because it wasn't supposed to be. This place wasn't to be trespassed by any existence; it was a place meant to remain untouched. A dream.

And yet it wasn't just a dream; it was real…

…I'd travelled there in my sleep.

My minute of contemplation over I glanced back towards Seigi only to find him already talking. I bit my lip; how rude was I? I hoped he hadn't said anything profound while I was being a space case.

"…Anyway, I returned a few hours later and now all I feel is… calm. It's nice, different but nice."

I smiled for him. "That's good, I'm glad."

For a full minute I let him look at me. I could tell he was working through something in his mind otherwise I would have objected; being stared at for no reason can be pretty uncomfortable and I felt no inclination to challenge it with my own.

But then he did this little juvenile cough/smirk/nervous laugh/blush that shocked me. For some reason I hadn't expected to receive from him the kind of behaviour that suited his age.

As his cheeks coloured he lifted a hand to scratch at his neck. "Yeah, you know I don't even know why I feared you? I mean you're so…" He trailed off; a full blush covering his face and all I could do was frown in bemused stillness.

"…I'm what?" What was he referring to? And why was he blushing?

He looked at me fro a second and I swore his expression was akin to pity. Was I _that_ inept?

His hand dropped and he shook his head. "It's doesn't matter?"

"Are you sure?" I asked uncertainly.

"Yeah, I'm pretty sure." He replied quickly.

Boys really are strange aren't they?

I nodded, hoping that I hadn't upset him somehow. "Alright. So… is this the part where you go into the light?"

"Yeah… yeah I think so."

He took a few steps forward and I mimicked him. Then he held out a hand. "So, I'll see you around?"

Smiling again I reached to grasp his hand with my own. "Maybe… one day."

As I completed the action I felt a heat; a powerful expansion in my chest that shot straight from the source and down my arm to my tingling fingertips and palm. When our hands connected the rush of energy exited my limb and entered Seigi's. Our hands began to glow… and then his whole being started to shine. The look on his face changed quickly from surprise to awe and then slowly melted into one of utter contentment. I was sending him somewhere again. As he began to fade away the grip he had on my fingers began to loose its traction before the solid feel of the limb beneath my fingers tips vanished completely.

All at once the boy disappeared into light.

I exhaled slowly.

Seigi Aisega had left the building.

* * *

The moment I reached the corner of the Urahara Shouten I paused. Not quite ready to enter the lot yet I trailed my fingers along the stone wall of an adjacent building. Knowing probably that what I was about to be told would change everything didn't help relieve my nerves. But I was also…

I was just so intrigued with this town anyway that I wasn't sure I if I should consider the possible dangers involved. If I thought too much I would never be able to take that step forwards.

Nodding to myself I mentally prepared for the next hour and was about to take a step around the place where I was hiding when an overly loud and extremely childish shout sent me stumbling back.

"No! Like this! This way! NOT LIKE THAT, LIKE THIS DUMMY!"

Who…?

Blinking I popped my head out from around the bend.

I saw two kids playing in front of the sliding doors. No wait, they were cleaning. Oh… okay then, I suppose that's…

I did a double take.

_Cleaning_!

Frowning I looked around the large empty space around the shop; there was no one else around. I looked back at the two…

They work here?

…They couldn't be older than about eleven years of age and yet there they were sweeping the ground outside the store. I'd made it here in record time, at a fast pace that went well with my cacophony of thoughts. But these kids must have either skipped the last hour of elementary school or the more likely option; they didn't go to school, instead they worked for Urahara.

I didn't even have a job yet, in fact most of the kids in my year at school didn't either… way to stay ahead of the curb.

Did that Kisuke Urahara was a complete idiot? It's a possibility.

…No the man was smart: Einstein smart, I just knew. And he wasn't the kind to use child labour; these kids were making their job fun for themselves. Or rather the red headed one chose to recite irritating sports trivia, re-enacting particular moments in sports history and… being kind of _mean_ to the cute looking black haired girl beside him. She had black bangs that came down in two thin curtains in betweenher eyes giving them more atmosphere.

Pensive, I watched them for a moment.

He kept giving her _noogies_.

…It didn't matter what she did, whenever she said anything be it right or wrong, she was punished for it. For both wining _and_ loosing.

I cocked my head to the side as I looked at the boy. Either he was completely moronic… and _that's_ putting it nicely… or he held a little _soft spot_ for the cutie. I'm not sure if I hope it's the latter. Anyway his broom bashing was about to end…

I promised to be fair; he was just a kid; how did he know how to treat a girl? I barely knew how to treat guys.

Nonetheless, sweet though it was to see young emotional overtures, you weren't supposed to repetitively and literally ram it into the head of the object of your affections. So I figured I'd just take his own broom away from; without a weapon he couldn't be as obnoxious.

Seriously though, whoever created the male and female psyche was profoundly drunk (on alcohol, power or their own success). And brainless… _And_ a bit… spazzy. They probably thought it'd be great amusement for humans to have to go through so much bad stuff to get to the _good_ stuff; to make us _so_ difficult to understand emotionally/physically etcetera that boys resolved to bruising girls in response to misunderstood feelings.

God knows I've suffered because of this too.

I shook my head and moved out from my hiding place, walking over to them while they were otherwise engaged, keeping my footsteps quiet, watching them. The red head roughly prodded the girl with his broom and she cried out an objection as she tried to get him to focus back on his work.

…They were human… but they weren't normal.

I loomed behind them before the boy's broom almost hit me square in the face. Luckily my heightened reflexes allowed me to catch and snatch said broom away. But then, completely unexpectedly, the kid shouted 'HEY' as loud as he possibly could and turned in reaction to kick me in the shins. That _little_…

So before he could even lift his arms to block I brought the broom down swiftly onto his head.

There was a satisfying clunk of wood on bone sound. "OOOOWWWWWW!" He fell dramatically and started rolling on the floor as he clutched his wounded cranium.

…And for a small moment I felt in the wrong for reacting like that.

I had a feeling he wouldn't stay there long; he'd be in my face any moment now and I couldn't blame him. No one liked being hit in the head…

Sighing and waiting for the inevitable wrath of a tiny kid I turned to find the girl looking at me blankly. She didn't seem remotely bothered at the sight of her friend in pain. Her eyes held an oddness about them and I knew I had to be careful here.

I placed my hands in my pockets, pressed my lips together and smiled slightly at her.

She just tilted her head to the side.

"Hello." I said.

"…Hi." She muttered back.

"Ah… is Urahara in? He told me to come by today…" I paused for a moment as I looked at her. I heard whispering…

"Your name… Its Ururu isn't it? You're Ururu?"

The girl looked confusedly at me. "How did you…"

I smiled at her again and pointed down.

"…And is his name Jinta?" I asked politely.

Perplexed and without staring at the rolling boy she nodded timidly. "Um…yes those are our names… I'll get Mr Urahara now ok?" She ran off into the Shouten.

I watched her move further into the shop. Exhaling I combed a hand through the top of my platted hair and considered the situation.

"…I'm in trouble." I whispered.

I'd known her name. I knew the boy's. They hadn't been offered it to me. I might be somewhat clairvoyant but I wasn't psychic so… how? How could I know the names of the people I come across before they're even provided? It was as if by some instinctive nature I was given permission… But this wasn't right. Humans weren't supposed to be allowed unnatural subliminal access and dominion over others in any way… right?

I had about three seconds to wrap my head around this curve of strangeness before the hothead of a boy was in my face. It was surprising considering I was almost 2 feet taller than he was.

I blinked and sweatdropped at the energetic, overdramatic and indignant look in his eyes.

"WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT FOR ASSHOLE? AND HOW DID YOU KNOW OUR NAMES? _WE_ DIDN'T GIVE THEM TO YOU!"

_ASSHOLE_?

Did he just…

I gazed at the kid utterly dumbfounded. "Whoa… you've got a potty mouth." Still shocked I slowly shook my head. "I wouldn't have _dared_ said that when I was your age." Do kids really talk like that now?

He strained on his tip toes to further get in my face with his glare. Far from intimidating me I actually felt somewhat sympathetic about how hard he was trying to make me lean back. "SHUT UP! WHO USES THE PHRASE POTTY MOUTH NOW ANYWAY! YOU PROBABLY SUCKED WHEN YOU WERE MY AGE! I COULD HAVE EASILY KICKED YOUR ASS! I CAN KICK YOUR ASS NOW TOO; I DON'T NEED A BROOM!"

Blinking away the offensively loud shout I shrugged passively. "Sure you could." I raised my hands as he twitched. "Hey, I believe you. But I'm here for Urahara so don't feel insulted if I don't allow you to prove your boast."

That shut him up for a minute.

"I er… I… j-just give me back my broom!"

"Oh yeah. Sorry, here you go."

I passed it back to him without hesitation and he blinked in surprise. He probably thought I'd refuse so I gave him a small smile and raised a brow. He looked from me, to the broom then back at me working his hands down the rough finish of the handle.

His eyes lit up slightly. Wrong reaction…

"What?" I asked cautiously.

"Heh, I'm pretty tough you know… You think you can beat me even though I have a weapon and you don't?" Where was _this_ going?

My eyebrows furrowed. "I never suggested I could or couldn't _do_ anything." I looked towards the Shouten, Ururu wasn't back yet.

When I glanced back towards Jinta I found him already a good ten metres away from me stretching his limbs and swinging the broom around like a bat.

"Er, Jinta? What in gods name are you doing?" I said deadpan.

His feral grin challenging expression parallel to my wholly bemused expression, he took a charging stance.

"You'll see."

Then he shot off from the ground faster than any normal kid ever could and I felt my eyes widen. Bringing his broom behind his head with both hands, he jumped in the air and swung it down aiming at my head.

But I wasn't there anymore.

I'd dived to the side and rolled, startled, just a split second before he could have hit me. "What the _hell_ Jinta?" The kid didn't pause, didn't miss a step as he twisted from the ground, bringing the broom from his left and up to my mid-drift.

In that moment as I watched his eyes narrow determined to get in a good and painful shot, the part of my mind that was shocked by this kid's actions, the very part that took into consideration the ethics of a) fighting a kid and b) fighting to cause pain… blacked out.

Everything seemed to slow as I watched with apathetic and calculating eyes the measured journey of the broom handle coming closer.

Without any kind of emotional awareness I spun clockwise on the ball of one foot as the other steadied me and enclosed the rough handle between my hands effectively trapping it. Before the kid could yell about it I broke the broom in two easily and kicked it away. His hands were quick to get at a piece but I batted them to the side and palmed directly into his chest sending him hurtling across the ground in the opposite direction.

The whole thing had been much swifter than I realised and I watched as he skidded across the gravel.

Cold. Calculated. Efficient.

How… unlike me.

With Rukia earlier I may have seemed calm but inside I'd hurt. This was so much more… silent than I was used to. Instead of feeling a rising furnace of aggression I'd felt an indifferent and well adjusted void; both responses were two halves of the same coin.

Jinta finally came to a shop and I blinked. "Oh no…" I whispered as I saw him shift to move slowly up off the floor, scrapes everywhere on his arms.

I rushed over to him feeling overwhelmingly guilty and worried. _I don't believe I just beat up a kid… Well, kind of._

"Jinta! I am… God I'm so sorry, I didn't want to fight you I just reacted to the… er…" I trailed off at the expression on his face. His head had instantly turned towards mine in shock, anger and dare I say it: awe.

"What… WHAT WAS THAT? That's not fair! I thought you were a novice not a senpai! THAT'S IT! I'M TRAINING WITH YOU FIRST CHANCE I GET! THAT WAS AWESOME! I NEVER GET TO GO ALL OUT ON PEOPLE AND THIS IS MY CHANCE!" I let him continue in his spiel about fighting together till we drop; bewildered at his enthusiasm… Wasn't he bothered?

Realising in a somewhat astounded daze that I hadn't actually hurt him I let out a breath; the scrapes on his arms weren't scrapes they were dirt from hitting the ground.

It wasn't long before I raised a hand for pause and he stopped mid-flight. "Look… I'm happy you had fun but I have no idea what it is that I just did…"

"You listened to your instincts."

I whirled around and saw Urahara standing by the entrance to his shop and leaning against the sliding door. Ururu stood behind him, her hands gripping his kimono pants with wider eyes. I hadn't even noticed him arrive. The smile Urahara wore under his hat made me somewhat apprehensive; it was as if I'd just confirmed something for him.

"I wouldn't worry about Jinta Mai, as you can see he's just fine." He said with a reassuring tone.

I stood there contrite looking from him to the boy. "Still I'm really sorry."

"Don't worry about it. Blame Jinta for being an obstinate child, he started it after all!" He added cheerfully while Jinta glowered but said nothing. Well… it _was_ half his fault I suppose.

There was a man I hadn't noticed before standing behind of Urahara… he was _huge_… Arnold Schwarzenegger move out of the way, there's a new kid in town. I raised an unsure hand at the man and received a polite and welcoming nod in return.

…Tessai… Tsukabishi…

Watching as Urahara gestured for us all to come inside I noticed the small group had a rhythm of their own. They knew where to stand and when.

What an odd group of people.

I'd probably fit right in.

Inside Tessai poured us all tea and I looked around, not quite as covertly as I wanted; Urahara's knowing eyes observed me from across the mat.

When we'd entered the room I'd caught Jinta furtively rubbing the area of his chest where I'd palmed him. I'd hurt him after all. Feeling that he'd create and have a major fit if I mentioned it I bit my lip and kept quiet, instead looking towards the shelves in the room.

"So Mai! Anything you'd like to ask first?"

I blinked up at him. "Ask?"

He shrugged. "Anything that's been bothering you? Something you might want to start with before I explain a few things?"

I pondered for a moment. "Well there was one thing…"

"Oh?" Urahara asked with raised brows.

"Why do you refer to Kurosaki in the familiar?"

His eyebrows fell from under his hat. "Out of everything _that's_ what's been bothering you?"

It sounded so similar to what Kurosaki had said, well texted, that I shuffled, embarrassed, on the cushion I was sitting on. "…I was just curious…" I was always curious.

…_you're also nosy, bottled up, maddening…_

Was Kurosaki right about _everything _he said about me?

…_Was_ I bottled up?

I shook myself out of it and continued. "It's just that you sound like you've already met him…"

Urahara tilted his head at me. "I haven't… _yet. _But I will soon, only a matter of time."

I sipped my tea and wondered, not for the first time if this guy was clairvoyant too. "Do you know a member of his family?"

And so smoothly he swallowed down the last of his tea, placed the empty cup on the low table in front of him and said, "No."

No indeed. Hmmm…

"You know…" He started with intrigue. "…When I wondered what you'd ask first I didn't think it would be about Ichigo and even if it was I thought it would be about how he received his Soul Reaper powers in the first place." He asked succinctly across the table.

Pressing my lips together I considered him for a moment. How much could I really trust this man with? He was a stranger… a stranger who'd healed me, helped me and treated me fairly instead of with fear.

I came to a decision. The truth was the best way. "I wonder about Kurosaki…" I said delicately. "And I don't need to ask how he received his powers; I got the story from a secondary source. Rukia told me the whole thing." I continued at the confused look he gave me.

He peered at me through the shadow under his hat. "How did that come to happen?"

Failing to hide a genuinely pleased smile I answered. "We had a fight."

"Oh…" He paused for a moment as if unsure of how to continue. "…How thrilled I am for you."

I shook my head at his straight face and thought about the earlier events of the day still swimming over my eyes. "She tried to substitute my memories. It got a little out of hand after that. But in the end I think we became friends…" I finished softly with an unheard prayer.

The man quirked a disbelieving smirk. "She tried to suppress your memories?"

I looked at him bemused and did a kind of half shrug that I was never really capable at pulling off. "She said she was protecting Kurosaki."

Silence rang out for a moment. By the small glance Urahara shared with Tessai I realized I was missing something. "…What's wrong?" I asked.

Urahara just shook his head. "Foolish." He muttered under breath.

"I beg your pardon?" I asked, concerned I'd done something wrong.

He scratched at the back of his neck resting his hand on the hair under the line of his hat.

"Mah… I told her not to do that."

I blinked. "You did?" _When?_

"Yes I did." He blew out some air. "It seems our Miss Kuchiki doesn't quite trust me yet."

Oh…

"…_Be careful Mai. Urahara's generous but he has secrets. He probably knows more about you than you do by now."_

"Why did you tell her not to…?" I asked carefully after a second.

He waved a hand around as if to dismiss it. "I just informed her that it wasn't necessary." He looked at me as I frowned. "Well was it?"

"…No." But he hadn't told me everything; he was simply too dismissive.

But the whole topic brought up another interesting question. "How did you find out about Kurosaki and Rukia anyway?" Did he sit in every tree around Karakura listening in and watching all the comings and goings?

Urahara moved to sit more comfortably. "I happened across the scene the night Ichigo received her powers; he was unconscious, Rukia was made spiritually destitute by what happened, his family were sleeping off the spiritual pressure and…" He shrugged nonchalantly. "I intervened."

I looked at him for a moment. "…You _happened_ across the scene?"

"I take nightly walks." He replied simply with a flourish of his fan.

Leaning back on the pillow I took him in…

He reminded me of a bit of a puppeteer; the master manipulator of all the players secrets. I'd call him a bit of a wildcard but the man didn't strike me as someone who'd so easily stab a knife in my back after befriending me simply because it suited the '_plan'_.

My eyes watched Urahara as he poured us another cup of tea (the cups were tiny). Noticing my stare he inclined his head towards me in the absence of his busy hands. "Go on, you have another query?"

I didn't say anything at first and only moved to accept the tea. There was something that had been gnawing at me in the back of my mind all day.

"…Rukia told me that she _gave_ Kurosaki her soul reaper abilities to save his life and the lives of his family. But since the powers aren't his wouldn't that leave him weaker than a genuine soul reaper?" The idea of him hunting hollows at barely average strength didn't sit right with me however…

…The possibility of Kurosaki's _weakness_ contradicted with the vast amount of energy I saw flowing through him last night.

Waiting, I raised my eyebrows at Urahara.

Looking at me with a perceptive and, strangely enough, slightly pleased shimmer in his eyes he responded with a deliberately short answer. "Yes it would."

I stared at him for a moment.

"Then why isn't it?" I asked simply. From what I could remember from the previous evening his energy looked to be desperately seeking some kind of release that screamed across the din of black to my own. Glancing back at the shop keeper I spoke in a somewhat hushed tone. "That's a _lot_ of power there Urahara."

…For a human.

He tapped his fan against the concealed lower area of his face. "So you noticed that?"

The question confused me. "It was hard not to."

I almost jumped as the snap of Urahara's fan suddenly closing echoed throughout the room. Speaking always in that steady tone of his he offered a revelation. "In general human beings are unable to withstand spiritual intensity, it's genetically impossible for them carry with them the subliminal traits necessary for the capability of being a soul reaper without dying being a natural prerequisite."

I nodded. "I understand." Frowning down at my tea cup in my hands I thought for a moment. "So what am I missing?"

More than likely I considered the possibility that Kurosaki had even more secrets than I.

The scientist gestured his fan at me in point. "The spiritual matter transferred to Ichigo Kurosaki is already beginning to degrade. Far from being problematic the energy has by now begun to uncover the already present Soul Reaper powers lying dormant within his soul." He finished quietly as he looked at me.

_Finally_… The truth.

"Kurosaki… has soul reaper powers?" I asked bluntly, astounded at the idea of my friend already having death god powers all along.

"Yes."

"…How?"

He smiled slightly and said. "That's a story for another time."

I tried for a moment to picture Kurosaki looking like the Grim Reaper but it only resulted in an absurdly orange coloured skeleton skull wrapped in black and trying to wield a six foot cleaver sword on spindly skeleton legs. Suddenly this new picture had the previously intimidating image of Kurosaki hiding under the covers in fright at the idea of hollow hunting and wearing bunny slippers.

Taking a breath I brought up the tea cup. I considered the possibilities of what he'd told me but couldn't make any sense out of it.

Noticing how my thoughts had run away with me Urahara continued. "Ichigo's potential is so vast Mai. It's _unequivocal_. But he'll be alright; everyone finds their own way eventually."

Gulping down hot tea I refused to acknowledge that pain and hardship usually littered the way for unusual commodities such as Kurosaki…

I frowned at the thought.

If I were (as Pei would say) full of cheese and one of his fan-girls I'd proclaim Kurosaki was Karakura's very own knight in shinigami coloured armour.

…He was a teenager training for a war and he didn't even know it.

It wasn't exactly obvious but my dreams constantly presented me with feelings of divergence; of conflicts that were already occurring; of chaos needing an outlet proving that peace was just a fantasy for ignorant school kids. But… see no evil, hear no evil. There was never a specific cause to point to, no image of evil to prove the enemy real… disharmony was everywhere; it had spun out of control beneath the surface of what we see everyday and the result will be catastrophic. This same sensation told me without words to prepare for the evident inevitable as it would be futile to try to change my fate… Because that wasn't _my_ duty, wasn't _my_ destiny…

"Tell her about the **Yokai** already!"

Jinta's voice pulled me blinking from my thoughts. The child was still sitting but by the antsy way he kept moving his hands and fingers that could change at any moment.

Urahara, finishing his last cup of tea spoke in a lazy kind of drawl to his ward. "Ah… this isn't something that can be rushed Jinta…"

The boy shouted out again. "You keep going on about that strawberry guy! I thought we were going to talk about how to handle the demons."

I opened my mouth only to close it when no words came out; my brain was still trying to get around the 'strawberry' aspect of that statement.

Exhaling heavily Urahara scratched the back of his neck and peered at me.

"It is something we wanted to discuss…" He started to explain before he was cut off again.

"Why can _she_ fight them and _we_ can't?" Jinta butted in.

Wait, what did he just say?

Then, surprising me Ururu had a question too. "…How do they phase…?" Er_… pardon?_

But Jinta couldn't wait for a turn. "…She came in with blood on her and it was so cool! But you wouldn't let us look and she was unconscious but you didn't tell us why, you said they were untraceable, what did she-"

_Woa, did he always talk like that? _Idly Urahara waved his fan up and down in Jinta's face. "Alright, alright, stop shouting. You'll confuse her." He said as Jinta huffed and crossed his arms looking back and forth from the man to me and back again expectantly as if waiting to for something exciting to be revealed.

Sighing Urahara glanced up at me.

The look on his face made want to swallow; for the first time since my arrival at his store I felt the stirrings of trepidation.

He took a moment before speaking again.

"…We've run into a bit of a problem."

* * *

**Ichigo**

…_Man, my house really is _this_ far from school._

The sides of his face sweat slicked from his latest hollow run the substitute soul reaper walked tiredly and irritably towards his home.

It had been so easy before to ignore the distance between his priority of school and home when he was full of energy, sleep fulfilled, calm and, well semi-normal. But right now the distance equated to climbing the Himalayas.

Heh… his _priorities_…

Less than two weeks ago his main precedence had been evading the 'faculty' members at his school, coming home in time for the supper Yuzu made every single night and aiding the lonely souls who sought him out. Now… _now_ his main worry was keeping the civilians of Karakura safe and ignorant from soul devouring fiends.

Oh yeah, his life was _awesome_.

Lethargically placing his forehead against the front door to his house he sighed, too tired to even frown in company with the weak scowl he wore. After leaving the school grounds he'd had to run interference on another hollow. Any energy he'd regained during his short but frequent moments of respite had all been spent on slaying it. Suppressing a yawn he moved a slow hand towards the door handle and twisted it open. Shutting it closed noisily and without remembering about certain familial dangers he took five sleepy steps towards the living room.

"You're late, _again_! In this house dinner is at 6:30 in the evening of _every_ day, 365 days a _year_, _3650 days_ a decade! Or do I have to remind you to do what I say because you're my son and I _OWN_ YOU?"

_Thump THUMP **THUMP** **THUMP**!_

_Wu-uh… huh? _

Ichigo's poor brain tried to register the machine gun speed of those words in tow with _that_ voice but unfortunately the auditory data failed to compute…

And he was met by two large and smelly brown sock donned feet coming at him side on.

_Crap…_

He'd forgotten about his dad.

Flung to the floor on the far side of the hallway he laid there quietly and without moving. The inevitable shouting match would begin any moment now…

"AHHH DAD, WHAT HAVE YOU DONE?"

_And there it is. Yuzu… _he thought without caring much. _Hm, usually it's Karin…_

"I'M SORRY! HE WAS SUPPOSED TO DODGE! HE _ALWAYS_ DODGES AND THEN HITS ME BACK IN THE MANLIEST OF WAYS! I DIDN'T EXPECT HIM TO JUST STAND THERE AND TAKE IT!"

Groaning inwardly the teen gritted his teeth at the headache that was already moving across his forehead…_ Just shut up…_

"Geez dad, what did you do this time?"

_Karin…_

_Need… sleep… _He opened his eyes to the view in front of him. From his angle on the floor he could just make out his bedroom door up the stairs. Where his bed was… and a fresh change of clothes. He just wanted to sleep till sunrise and not dream a single dream… _or be awakened by Rukia's freakin' hollow pager._ His dad let out another obnoxious whine as his dark haired daughter, 'Karin', chewed him out for his idiocy.

_I was so tired that I actually managed to forget that I lived with the eccentric loon._

…_He's forty, but he has the predisposition of a pre-schooler _and_ the brain capacity of a spandex glove. _

_I swear were not related. _

His father had been in the business of physically bull-dozing him over the moment he comes home for the almost three years now. Ichigo had never been told why; his dad hadn't privileged him with the information.

Looking bleary eyed at his family he sweatdropped, or _would_ have if what he was seeing wasn't the quintessential norm at his house. Yuzu was worrying and waving her hands in an anxious flurry about her face, his dad was spazzing and waving his hands around in an anxious flurry about his person and Karin was… well, standing there staring at the two of them as they squealed and wondering like Ichigo was how _she_ was related to _them_.

His eyes closed and giving a resigned sigh he pushed himself up, sloth like, dragging his way towards the stairs.

"Ugh, I'm going to bed…" He didn't pause as he passed them.

Isshin Kurosaki snapped out of his drawn out soliloquy to whip around and look his son over.

Looking worriedly at her older brother, Yuzu stepped out from behind her father to call out to his retreating back. "But brother, what about your dinner?"

"…I'll eat later."

To his lament his dad started fluttering after him; he did his utmost to completely ignore him.

Watching him reservedly Karin quirked a brow in his direction. "Why so tired Ichigo?" She asked.

Sighing and growing increasingly annoyed Ichigo turned his head to look over his shoulder at her. "It's nothing, I just-"

"HE'S WORN OUT FROM TOO MUCH SEX!" His dad butted in.

"WHAT? _DAD_!"

_LUNATIC!_

_Why is it always about sex with him?_

_And why is it always his first thought with _me_? It's like he's promoting underage pregnancy!_

_Can't he give it a rest?_

**(For the sake of the audience let me make this one thing abundantly clear. Ichigo is very aware that guys tend to think about sex… 24/7… he's just more of a gentleman about it. And the idea of talking to his dad about it is the equivalent to all hell freezing over… it would give him nightmares.)**

Isshin popped up at his side and attempted to ascend the stairs with Ichigo all the while ignoring the increasingly antagonised expression on his face. "Come on son, admit it! _That's_ why you're so tired isn't it! Oh-h!" He blinked, ecstatic at the trend of his own thoughts before beaming hugely at his son.

"You… YOU'VE FINALLY PASSED THE STEP TO MANHOOD ICHIGO! Who's the lucky girl? Is she pretty? She must be _pretty_ energetic to exhaust you eh-_OW?_"

Even giving in to his irritation didn't make him feel better. Ichigo punched his father hard in the face making him land in a thud at the bottom of the stairs.

His forehead throbbed. "_Dammit_ dad! Could you leave the pervy remarks for just _one_ night?" He was only _fifteen _for God sakes… He closed his eyes; the energy climb from his anger was already fading. "…Such a lewd bastard…" He muttered.

Hearing this, his father made a scandalised gasp and flipped back over onto his feet at a speed of a buckshot.

"Ichigo! How can you say that at _your_ age? Fifteen years old is where _all_ men begin to discover the delights of the opposite sex!" Seeming to realise he had an audience Isshin looked quickly to his two daughters, both of whom appeared a little confused. He grabbed them and somehow covered their ears in a war between his hands and theirs. Then, in triumph, he whispered austerely back to Ichigo who couldn't help but sweatdropped at the sight of his sisters being manhandled in one of his dad's daily displays of adolescent behaviour.

The supposed grown up spoke in an overexcited whisper. "Son, you know as well as I do (or you _should_ do by now; you're a Kurosaki!) that girls your age are far more mature than boys! It's a time of experimentation! Explore the world of _hehe_… _carnal,_ culpable, and deviant acts!"

Mortified Ichigo took in a large breath and stared upwards, scowling at the ceiling. _Jesus Christ and all his angels save me from my father._

His dad didn't pause. "Come on, what better way to learn how to please a woman than that?" His father lifted his eyebrows in a suggestive fashion. "So is it Tatsuki? Or that Orihime girl you mentioned? Tell me Ichigo, prove you're not gay!"

For a moment Ichigo continued to look up. Then after a long sigh (which sounded more like an aggrieved growl) he stared directly down at his father. Then, taking a breath and mentally preparing for his own colossal outburst Ichigo glowered grumpily at his father.

"_Dad_, I…" He stopped as a yawn broke free from him suddenly. _Oh man… _

Slumping resignedly he shoved a vexed hand through his hair. "I'm _so _not in the mood for you right now…" _I don't care anymore_. Rubbing his tired eyes he turned to continue his snail crawl up the stairs and muttered to himself along the way. "God… I _shudder _to think what he was like at my age…"

Hearing his dad break out a snigger made him pause in painful apprehension. "Well son, I was more-"

Slapping his hands against his ears Ichigo shouted. "Forget it! I don't want to _know_ dad! _Anything_!" He shot a sharp glare at Isshin. "Now… I'm going to bed. To sleep. In _peace!_ Seriously, no waking me up!"

And with that he stomped up the remaining flight of stairs left his dad standing there mincing his sisters heads together.

_Dumb ass…_

Shouldering his way into his room he let out a sigh and looked at his bed in longing; as if being in its presence gave him permission to finally let go. He staggered over to the inviting divan leaving a trail of school wear behind and clumsily pulled on a pair of sweatpants and t-shirt before flopping unceremoniously on the bed. He sighed deeply in satisfaction already feeling the tension leave him.

But the day wasn't over…

…Because, of course _that's _when Rukia _would _pop out of the cupboard like the tiniest house gremlin with a cell phone beeping in her hand.

"Ichigo!"

"Not… happening." He bit out irritably into his pillow.

"It's another hollow, we've got to go."

He opened one bleary eye to stare at her. "You've got to be kidding me. Rukia…" He pushed himself upwards. "…How am I supposed to slay hollows when I'm like this? I'll just get uskilled!" He stressed, wide eyed and freaking irritated.

Rukia didn't look up from her pager straight away; instead she read the message with furrowed brows and a concerned expression. Eventually she exhaled and glanced up at him apologetically.

"Who else is going to do it Ichigo?" She asked candidly but quietly.

And that right there was the kicker; he'd never be able to say no.

After she'd brought his substitute shinigami form out of his body Rukia watched, sweatdropping as he banged his shin on the side of his bed and cursed, hopping around the room like an idiot before he leapt out of the window and into the early evening vermillion sunset.

She didn't follow him immediately.

The communiqué she'd just received perplexed her. It wasn't the ordinary time space, place and additional statistic reading. Instead she'd received a _list_ of potential areas in which they _might_ locate a hollow. She'd wondered momentarily if her device had been tampered with. With the exception being the previous night hollows never accumulated in such a number; they were all on the south east side this time. Even more unusual she hadn't been supplied an exact number of them… or _any_ number.

And the worst, the _absolute_ worst, was the little degrading hand wave and peace sign at the bottom of the text.

Kisuke Urahara_…_

_What was he doing?_

_He told me it would be problematic for him to go around causing trouble because of, I'm assuming, the wrath of the soul society, or more precisely central 46._

_I wonder if this has anything to do with last night? I never did ask him about that and he probably knows **exactly** what happened._

A dark cloud accumulating above her head and an eye twitch later she jumped through the window after Ichigo who she found had already fallen asleep against a wall at the bottom of the street. Obnoxious snores were sounding from his mouth as he stood open mouthed, like an idiot, with Rukia looking up at him in disbelief.

Slapping a hand to her forehead she sighed and moved to wake him. If need be she'd drag him kicking and screaming all the way to the nearest hollow.

When she pulled on his arm he jerked awake and moaned; he sounded like a slapped cow. Looked like one too; extremely heavy with little brain a capacity.

_Oh yes_, Rukia thought tetchily as she half carried him, _a confidence inspiring this situation was _certainly_ was._

* * *

**Urahara Shouten**

I didn't believe in praying; not to God or any other over worked image of perfection. I've never prayed, not once in all my life. Some might think this foolish but the idea of believing in something abstract rather than relying on myself and my own power had always made me feel weak, uncertain and thoroughly disgusted.

And yet I felt like trying to right now.

I wasn't an atheist; God existed but what of it? I just didn't apply everything that occurred in my life to God and '_his mysterious ways_'. But this… what I'd been told made me want to procure some sort of supernatural and god all-mighty shield against the unknown.

No… I mentally shook myself free of the rising anxiety.

To this day the one thing I did believe in was people.

And having faith in them. Having faith in whatever it is you apply your convictions to is what I trust, is what I garner strength from when all else fails.

Still…

The Yokai.

How do you apply faith to something like that; to faithless creatures?

Demonic beings not of this world.

Enslaved by their own darkness they aspire to cause nothing but chaos and pain.

From what Urahara told me these creatures have a caste system and horrifyingly enough the ones I fought barely touched it.

They were the lowest of the low.

They held the title: Yokai. They attacked unreservedly and indiscriminately. But apparently they were only cannon fodder.

The statement uttered so unconcernedly by Kisuke Urahara had left me momentarily devoid of mental competency. I'd made a sort of disbelieving nervous wreck noise that made me sound like some new foreign species of penguin. In fact both Jinta and Ururu looked around perplexedly for the appearance of such a species and only found me staring dumbly across the table at Urahara.

The man just smiled cheerily at me.

That's when he informed me, ever so nicely, of the existence of real Demons: all of which had differing levels of power.

"…_True Demon's rarely manifest themselves physically in the human world." Urahara explained to my wide eyed self. "The Yokai however are quite wide in number and vary in shape and capability."_

_I nodded with a small swallow. "Oh… um, o.k."_

"_Too much?" He asked wryly._

"_A little. But mainly it's just too… strange."_

_Urahara raised an eyebrow. "Strange?"_

"_Yes…" I breathed. Then with a pensive frown shook my head slowly. "…No. No, something about it seems very familiar but…" I looked back up at Urahara. "Hollows I can understand; you said they are born from spirits that literally loose their final links to their humanity. Well, I've seen spirits. I've seen hollows, but demons? What's their story? Their origin?" _

_It was true; Kisuke Urahara hadn't explained their foundation, what they were or how they even existed in the first place. These creatures were a blank slate._

_Urahara scratched his chin. "I have no idea."_

…_Uh…_

_It wasn't quite the explanation I was expecting. I blinked at him doubtfully and hoped he was teasing me. _

_At my expression he smiled. "Unfortunately we don't have enough information on them to create an appropriate profile. The fact that they don't originate from the world of the living or any of its sub divisions doesn't help and I haven't managed to trace any relevant information about them from my files." He finished in the most indifferent tone of _concern_ I've ever heard._

"…_Can you tell me anything?" I asked hopefully. _

_Then I blinked as I came to a revelation._

_Why was I so interested? I didn't come here to learn all I could about monsters that will probably end up causing some of my all time worst nightmares and that's saying something considering the glorious dreams already bestowed upon me on a nightly basis anyway._

"_Well…" Urahara muttered. "…They do have a basis in the souls that are left behind."_

_I tilted my head. "I don't understand."_

_For a moment Urahara simply looked at me. Then, placing his fan down at his side he interlaced his fingers and leaned his elbows on the low table. _

"_Mai, have you ever heard of the Forsaken?"_

_Wondering at the sombre quality already present in his tone I shook my head._

_He started slowly, frowning as he looked past me to something in his mind. "…Some spirits hold onto their more powerful of emotions, the ones that drove them during their time with the living and stayed with them as ghosts too." His eyes flickered to mine. "As a scientist I've investigated much. One day I discovered something about the spirits that are sent to the Soul Society."_

"_Soul Society?"_

"_Rukia's home." He said simply, waving a dismissive hand. "Mah, I'll explain later… that is if you can take any more…" He mumbled into his hands before continuing._

"_Some of the souls sent to the Soul Society never made it there."_

_Thinking carefully I wrinkled my nose (something I never do) and asked possibly my dumbest question yet. "Is there a registration list or something for the dead on arrival?"_

_He stared at me for a moment. "Actually there is. And don't refer to spirits as the dead. After the body dies the soul moves on to wherever it wishes, but it doesn't die."_

_To wherever it wishes? How queer… I never considered life after death in such a way before._

_I'd always perceived it to a transformation of sorts not a _transfer_…_

_Then I remembered what he said. "What do you mean some of the spirits never made it there?"_

"_They disappear before they arrive." He said straight to the point. "At some point they loose their way and venture towards a different existence." He raised a finger in point with a suspicious half smile. "I can only speculate what happens here but I believe the spirits are drawn there by the pull of more power, something that would enable them to carry out their wishes and vengeance. But their initial reasoning become clouded and they become slaves to the power they gain but could never truly comprehend."_

"_They go astray in the black." I murmured._

"_Oh?" Urahara's eyebrow's raised and he picked up his fan and flourished it around. "The black? He questioned._

_Taken aback I spoke the truth. "It seemed appropriate."_

_The black._

_A place where nothing is understood is 'black' with depth. _

"So, have you ever had to face a true demon?" I asked a few minutes later.

He mulled it over. "A couple of times over the years. They were not as active in the past as they are now." Looking at me directly in the eye he continued. "That's something I wanted to discuss with you…"

"You said you'd run into a bit of a problem?"

He nodded. "We have."

Then he stood up and began to leave the room. As I moved to stand (I can't help it; in bred manners and all) he gestured with his index finger for me to remain seated and swept out of the room

I looked left to Tessai for a clue as to what he was doing but he just shrugged. It almost made me laugh; the casual action looking a little strange on the big guy.

Just three seconds after this Urahara came back in the room carrying a large sheet of paper (probably) A2 and what looked to be an easel. Standing the object up on its tripod legs he clipped to it the rolled up document and keeping it there with his fingers he turned his head towards me.

"Are you ready for this?"

The seriousness of his tone forced me to consider the question with the same amount of gravity. I looked at him for a moment then nodded decidedly.

He smiled and dropped the slip to reveal…

"Holy…" I breathed.

The yokai was monstrous; too big, at least a foot and a half taller than me. Its large muscles rippled under dark skin and its shape and form, according to the casual scribble next to the depiction, differed depending on apparent skill set. Its claws, large and lethal looking sent a shudder down my spine and its eyes so drawn to detail could easily be seen as murky red. In my mind they shined with a yellow glow.

This was not the same yokai that I dallied with last night.

This one was far more insidious.

"What is that?" I asked quietly.

Seated now and observing every nuance of my reaction Urahara indicated towards the picture. "It's an assault class yokai. Though we have a hefty hole in our data on Demons we have been able to acquire a thorough knowledge of yokai attack patterns and characteristics. The demons still see them as the lowest of the low but for humans… they are trouble."

I nodded seemingly unable to take my eyes away from the drawing. "I can see why."

"Judging from your reaction it's more than likely that the yokai you faced where the pests. They have the ability to posses the dead and have been experimenting with it as they play with their kin."

…They can possess the dead?

I immediately flashed back to several snapshots within the past few weeks; people with hidden faces but glowing, inhuman eyes. It seemed I couldn't help but notice them and, on occasion, they noticed me back…

"…Play with their kin?" I asked without looking up from my memories.

"It didn't take long for us to realise that the yokai are, well, dim." Hearing his voice I noticed the slight amount of uncertainty that underlined it. The man was unused to hesitation of any kind. "They act solely upon their natural instincts and base desires. So… we assume from this that they follow the commands of a higher level yokai or lower level demon."

Glancing back up at him I frowned. "What are their natural instincts and base desires?"

"To kill."

"…Oh."

"Actually they have a penchant towards cannibalism." Urahara muttered as he moved to take down the scroll. Rolling it back up he continued to speak. "They attack indiscriminately and possess no understanding of the intrinsic nature of what's right and what's wrong." Placing the scroll beside him he offered me his full stare. "Creatures such as these live and breathe blood and violence in its worse form and are inclined towards sadistic measures. They like to play with their food." As he talked Urahara seemed to consider me and after a small pause he uttered these words. "They'd tear you to pieces without hesitation."

With darkened thoughts of feral shrieks and vicious intent I answered him. "I'm deeply aware of that."

"And yet here you sit."

His eyes gleamed with curiosity as he leaned on the table in front of him. The atmosphere in the room seemed to tingle and I realised that we must have finally trespassed upon the subject that they'd all been waiting to discuss. The crux of the evening. It was somewhat like standing in a slowly brightening spotlight; the uncomfortable feeling increasing the more Jinta stared at me, with the way Tessai's already stiff form seemed to focus even more and the steady and unrelenting stare of the store owner.

"I fought back." I said simply and without flare.

"Most wouldn't… or couldn't." Kisuke Urahara replied astutely. "Fear would prevent them from reacting at first and by the time they were released from the feeling it would be too late. The yokai don't wait for an opportune moment; they arrive, they kill, and then they leave. Trust me, on this I know."

A look of puzzlement crossed my expression. "Then why did they watch me?"

"What do you mean?" Urahara asked promptly.

"Last night I was surrounded by them but they didn't attack me straight away. It was as if they curious about something."

"Did they do anything else?"

"Not really…" I shook my head slowly. "But something seemed to trigger a reaction in them because started growling and screaming at me." I recalled trying not to shudder as I remembered quite vividly the noise they collectively created.

"Then what happened?"

"I fought back…?" Unsure, I repeated my previous statement.

"That's the first thing you did?" Urahara said and quirked a disbelieving brow. "You just stood there and said _bring it on_?"

Oh… right… "No, I ran away."

He nodded as he'd known that all along. "And they chased you?"

Perceptive. "Yes. I didn't get very far."

"…They cornered you?" Urahara did say he had a thorough understanding of their attack patterns.

"R-right."

"I see." Tapping his chin with the fan he eventually placed it down next to him. "Okay Mai, so what set _you_ off?"

"I don't understand."

"I think you know what I mean." Positioning himself into a crouch he pushed up to stand. Jinta shuffled away enough to give the man some room to walk through whilst keeping himself close enough to me and the conversation. "By the blood on your hands I'd say you were in the fight of your life." Urahara came and stood directly at my side so that I had to crane my head back in order to look at him.

"I already know about what happened last night and the implication it carries." Penetrating eyes made somewhat sinister by shadow they lived under stared down at me and for a brief moment I felt like he was reading my history; reading it, chewing on it, spiting it back out and declaring that I'm nowhere near as frightening as he is. "I just need to make sure _you_ understand the significance of your actions."

He crouched down next to me then and reached out with his left hand to the sleeve on my arm. He pushed it up past my elbow and pointed to my forearm with his right hand.

"Actions from which you're already completely healed."

Confused I shook my head at him, my eyes flickering from my arm to his face. "You told me you healed me this morning."

"I didn't help with these." He pointed at my arm and watched me.

It took me a moment to register the importance of what he'd just told me. When it did finally hit my eyes started to widen and my mouth opened but I didn't quite know what to say. Seeing my reaction Urahara dropped his hand and waited to see what I'd do.

I'd healed.

This morning when I had awoken in his store I'd believed that the reason why the claw marks on my arms were simple finger bruises was because he had healed them. Now the marks had vanished without a trace and he was telling me that he hadn't even healed me in the first place. That the reason why the wounds closed to become contusions that became a mere unpleasant memory just eight hours later was because I could in fact heal this quickly.

Looking at him now and his passive/serious expression as he leaned back on his heels next to me I could see the stunned if not abject realisation on my face reflected in his orbs.

"Why so fearful?" He asked tonelessly.

I didn't answer his question. "I was afraid of them. I know I was." I said emphatically. "But at the time all I could focus on was the sound of my blood pumping through me and the noise those creatures made. They were going to kill me." I rolled my sleeve back down. "…Then I fell into darkness and everything within me became so lucid. For the first time in my life I truly felt like… me." I didn't know what that meant but those were the words tumbling out of my mouth. Gazing back at Urahara I finished. "And then I tore _them_ to pieces."

Remembering fully how the presence that hummed in my head had resounded so loudly the command to utterly annihilate I waited for the inevitable. I waited for the expression from Jinta's face to turn from awe inspired to disgusted, for Urahara to confirm how he knew that I was dangerous and Ururu to reveal to me why her eyes were like twin shields covering a weapon.

What I didn't expect to receive was the triumphant smirk on Kisuke Urahara's face.

"Thought so." He simply said.

Wha…?

I'd expected… okay. Let it be known that Mai Li will never again expect any response from Urahara that serves as typical by normal people. The man will never be typical in any way.

He straightened up and stood once more. "You did nothing wrong, you simply responded to weight of your instincts. How could you do anything other than bow down to such authority?"

"Er, authority?" I questioned still out of sorts by his reaction

"Power." He said smiling widely at me before stepping out of the room.

Blinking and feeling ever more like Alice I looked askance towards the two kids only for me to sweat drop when they shrugged in unison. Then I glanced at Tessai who just watched his boss's back.

Then Urahara shouted back at me from somewhere in his store. "Are you coming?"

"Yes! Sorry!" I stumbled and moved to clear out of the room.

…Follow the white rabbit Mai.

I found his retreating form in the surprisingly longish hallway. He didn't slow down as I chased after him but he did speak.

"You have to get used to power now Mai, and as always it has a price. You're strength lies within your instinct. With it you could do things most people couldn't dream of doing." He turned a corner into yet another hallway (this place was much larger than I thought).

"Doesn't everyone have instinct?" I shouted as I jumped over a box cluttering the floor.

Turning only his head back at me as his body moved around the cluttered hallway with perfect muscle memory he answered. "Yes they do but only as a biological/psychological reactive protocol and it doesn't always aid them. _Your_ instinct is so present it's imbedded within the route of your powers, in fact it could be seen as an ability in and off itself."

He stopped suddenly and I almost careened after him in my haste. I realised we'd reached the front of his store.

"Here, you'll need this." Urahara said as he passed me the roll of paper with the yokai drawing on it. I hadn't even seen him pilfer it from the table.

"I will?"

"Do you honestly think you won't come across them again?" He asked dryly.

Though I wanted to deny him the true answer, that I felt the swift changes in the ambience surrounding Karakura indicating that I was now exposed to the layers of the town and all its secrets, I shook my head without hesitation.

He grinned and inclined his head. "Then you're learning."

And without any explanation he placed his hands on my shoulders and pushed me roughly out through the sliding doors at the entrance.

Stumbling I blinked back up at him. "I thought you said you wanted to discuss something with me?"

Looking far too cheery for his own good Urahara nodded at me and I noticed the forms of Jinta, Ururu and Tessai coming to a stop behind him. "I did and if you think _really hard_ you'll find a question hidden underneath our conversation."

My cheek twitched. Did he just… patronise me?

"When you're ready to answer it call me." He pointed towards the roll in my fingers. "My number is on the back of that."

And before I can utter a word he slammed the sliding doors shut in my face.

Standing there with my mouth opening and closing in a swift cacophonic rhythm I looked a little silly. As if realising this my hands and feet moved of their own accord. I put the sheet of paper in my school bag and I moved to walk away as the expression on my face proved that I didn't have a clue what had just happened.

Trying to mentally catch up with everything I'd heard form Urahara I could only think one thing…

…I was tumbling down the rabbit hole.

"Mind job." I muttered with a shake of my head.

* * *

**Inside the Shouten…**

"Are you sure it's wise to just let her go Boss?" Tessai asked from behind the green kimono clad shop keeper.

Kisuke watched the girl as she walked away through the sliver between the doors. She looked a little overwhelmed. "It would be… _counterproductive_ to explain everything all at once. If I overloaded her unnecessarily it would be too close to manipulation for my tastes and I want her to come to an answer herself…" He shrugged. "_Then_ I'll tell her the rest."

After a minute he looked sideways to his friend. "Did you do it?"

"I did." Tessai nodded.

"Good!"

He moved towards a side room in the front half of the store as Ururu looked concernedly over the boy next to her. "What's wrong Jinta?"

He just huffed and crossed his arms over his chest.

Opening the door to the relevant room Kisuke smiled behind his fan at the boy. "Come now Jinta, jealousy is rather unbecoming in a boy your age! Especially over an older schoolgirl."

"I'M NOT JEALOUS!"

"Denial!" Urahara sang from inside the room.

"I'M NOT IN DENIAL!"

He shook his head indulgently at the boy's voice; he'd seen Jinta's face when Mai Li had explained how her instincts had taken on a life of its own. He'd been an inch away from demanding she prove her claim just so that he could have the possibility of seeing something 'cool'. Finding the device he'd been searching for he held it in his hand and switched it on. Then he moved out of the room, past the squabbling children and into the yard in front of the store where he stared down at the measuring tool… and waited.

* * *

**Mai**

…_There was a hidden question underneath our conversation._

And there was also very good chance that I wouldn't sleep tonight.

We'd talked at length about the possible origins and features of yokai and demons but… I couldn't locate a question in there anywhere. He'd told me he'd wanted to talk about those creatures… but why with _me_.

Why did they seem to need _me_ there?

My feet came to a stop.

What was I missing here? Receiving only pieces of data brought about new questions. He was right to be curious about why the yokai had been watching me. And I hadn't informed him of how I'd seen them at the fair or how my vision had altered to see the black and white world of an old photo.

I was sure it would mean something that I wasn't ready to hear just yet.

But why wasn't he speaking about this to Rukia and Kurosaki? The two were like the Karakura guardians; why keep this a secret from them? In fact it was as if Urahara was trying to tell me that this didn't even concern the two of them yet.

But how could it not?

Wait… did the two of them know about the yokai already? Had they seen them too?

…Maybe I should text Kurosaki about it.

Or maybe I should be really daring and actually phone him for a chat. _Or_ if I was feeling psychotically bold I could just go to his house and ask him there…

No. No the memory of him freaking out at the idea of his father seeing him with a girl squashed that idea completely. Normally I wouldn't even consider going to his house but I was desperate for information…

Oh god… I'd actually thought about going to his house.

Was I really that stupid to think that I could just do that?

Slumping and sighing I stared up at the night sky; the sun had just set and the breeze was picking up.

Beautiful sky…

Life as it was so full of possibilities but I never imagined a world in which demons, hollows and soul reapers existed. Well, more appropriately a 15 year old substitute high school student who channelled spirits and fought hollows…

And I fought… I fought…

My pulse suddenly spiked and I felt my nerves tingle with the resounding chill from the spike of reitsu in the air. The hairs on my arms stood to attention.

Left…

…Right…

…In front of me…

…And behind…

The chaining of souls leaves such a specific mark. It resounds in the skull and murmurs in your ear that death stands just behind each and every living creature. And it demands that we accept this fate…

But not me.

I wasn't supposed to do that; fear was no longer a liable option.

Because I can hear them, crying for respite…

The howl of a hollow.

And there was more than one.

I stood near to the south end of Karakura Community Park and listened. Allowing the breeze and every other sound penetrate my skin I waited for it to come.

But then I heard another roar... and another... and again.

They were amassing and heading in my direction.

What was going on?

Pulsing out my energy I focused on locating the nearest Hollow several hundred metres away and immediately felt it fix its sights and senses on me. I opened my eyes and stared forwards towards the left of my position. The first would appear there...

...And moments later a hollow crashed into the side road where I was facing. Taking in its form I saw a muscular bodied, square headed hollow with intimidating razor like ridges on each side of its mask.

Quietly clenching my fists I froze as it looked at me.

Its head tilted to the side as if it were confused by something.

Before I could put a stop to it the core of my power throbbed and I inwardly grimaced. I was responding instinctively again to the threat in front of me but the play of power seemed to knock the hollow to its senses. My energy surrounded it and all of a sudden it and all of a sudden it wailed at me; its dark eyes staring hungry daggers straight into my soul.

And that's when I realised: hollows liked the way I smelt. They may not understand what it is they are sensing but they nevertheless wanted a taste.

I made to step backwards when two more hollows, one on each side, arrived to join the first. In unison they too stared at me for several seconds before roaring at me.

And then they charged.

The ground beneath my feet vibrated with every thundering step each of the creatures took.

But... I felt no fear.

None whatsoever.

In fact if I were to look at myself from the perspective of a third party I'd see myself calmly taking in each movement of each hollow. And there was a kind understanding in my eyes as the hollows made to grab and slash for me...

And all I did was moved slightly to the left.

The first hollow missed completely and ended up ramming itself into the stone wall behind me. The second made to sweep my legs out from under me but I simply twisted on my left foot while my right shot out to pound on the offending limb and came away leaving behind a broken stump.

The circulation of energy was flowing in a rapid descent down my limbs and I hummed with raw power...

...Well that's new.

And while that maybe the case I still wasn't sure what I could accomplish here. Though calm and steady I was no match for three hollows... not without a zanpacto. I didn't know what I could even do yet with my body.

Thinking about my family I wondered how Pei would handle this situation.

...She'd scream her head off in the old teenage girl standby that she abided to completely; when in trouble scream Bloody Mary until rescued by a handsome stranger.

Well that wouldn't work.

Jihi... yeah he'd probably stand there bold and proud in his old wrestling gear (an embarrassingly tight unitard covered in glittery spangles) and proclaim himself a challenge as he tried and failed to perform outrageous wrestling moves on the hollow at ungodly angles...

That wouldn't work either.

So... what would I do?

Thinking about it all the while dodging the third hollow and seeing with some distress now as a fourth and fifth hollow decided to enter the fray there really was only one thing I could do.

Sliding across the gravel after a close shave with a dense tail I pushed up with my fingers and with a flash of instinct leaped high into the air in a backwards flip to land several metres from where I stood. I heard a crack and looked up just in time to see that the first hollow with the head ridges pull its deadly shaped skull mask from the concrete floor.

It had tried to pulverise me.

Watching and feeling increasingly like I was in a no win situation as the surrounding hollows prepared for a team full charge leaving me nowhere to escape to... except perhaps through the park now behind me.

So I stood straight, cleared my throat...

...And pegged it in the opposite direction moving swiftly over a fence to sprint towards my goal.

I know... pathetically smooth.

I expected them to follow but at the speed they were chasing me I wouldn't make it far. They helped me somewhat however by falling over one another as they pushed and lunged their way towards their delicious soul treat. I had to wonder what it was about my scent that confused them whilst simultaneously provoking their hunger to aspire to new levels of desire.

Free running through the cluttered park I managed to push up off of a low partition onto an adjacent wall which I actually defied gravity to run upwards several steps before hauling myself up and over into the east end of the park. I paused for a moment...

But I really shouldn't have...

For a moment all I could make sense out of the situation as my world tilted on its axis was hard strike I'd received to my side. I was sent flying and had a momentary view of a tall speedy looking hollow with large but lithe limbs.

"**Delicious."**

This one could speak.

Hitting the ground hard I came up in a roll and knew it was already in front of me, above me poised to strike and tear its way through my flesh suit to the spirit that lay within.

Immediately the heat of my energy skyrocketed and my pulse thumped hard within my chest. Teeth exposed in an aggressive grind I felt the power in my body force itself into my eyes and I glanced down only see my body glowing that bright and slightly faint green rhythm. My arms and legs immediately moved into position on the floor so that I could strike before it did but before I'd even turned towards my quarry I heard a clang.

It was metallic and followed by an irritated roar.

...And I felt him. God, it was impossible to miss. His spiritual pressure shivered down my back and resonated in my mind.

Moving my head slowly I looked up behind me and stared stunned.

"...Mai?" He uttered in soft astonishment.

His name was out of my mouth before I could stop it.

"...Ichigo."


	8. The Unexpected

**I apologise profusely for the few grammatical errors in the previous chapter.**

**I was so peeved at having my memory stick stolen I… forgot… to… check.**

**Hey, so I know that this chapter is unbelievably late but I've had to deal with a supreme amount of horrid grown up stuff recently. Plus this chapter went wrong three times but I realised what the problem was now and have fixed it. It was simple really; the chapter was too long to suit the purpose of its content. I tried to incorporate too much detail to it and ended up adding too many characters and events that caused it to collapse in on its self. Normally I enjoy long chapters but for this one… it just didn't work.**

**The next chappie definitely won't take two months to put up.**

**Notreallyaname: I agree with you for the most part that the whole recurring, 'oh I'm the new vizard/hollow/soul reaper/human/spirit king's daughter and pupil of Karakura High', is increably annoying. It's nice to know that people appreciate different kinds of eventualities and possibilities. I do enjoy writng the various pov's as it helps the audience gain a certain understanding behind each characters actions. Interplay between characters is always just as important as the story; each relationship dynamic that I have started to work on will eventually begin to change with what will happen in the very near future. I honestly can't reveal too much about Mai, BUT! After this chapter that will immediately alter. _This_ chapter is more about satisfying Ichigo's deep curiosity of his friend. It's something Ichigo doesn't quite understand himself so he just goes with it like he has done with everything else he's done so far. This is also something I will be working on. **

**Memory25: I'm glad! Really, it's good that my writing is actually decent enough for you to get used to its style. You know, it totlly shocked me to recieve reviews that were basically ego strokes. It's awesome. Oh, the whole yokai/hollow mix... you'll understand later. The two have their own stories but they do kind of interlink at points. Ichigo is the hollow slayer. Eventually it will be him who has to deal with Mai's hollow problem. Not that she won't have anything to do with hollows but her life is about to start getting undeniably messy and it would be silly to put all the responsibility on the wrong person's shoulders. Mai isn't the ony main part in this fanfic. Everyone has a job. It just so happens that hers is a little bit more screwed up. No, neither Rukia or Ichigo know of the yokai but they will soon and this will start to slowly tie into what I wrote in the prologue. Yes the hollows find her yummy, but they would seeing as how she's... something else. Have no fear! I know I'm annoyingly vague but it is absolutely necessary at the moment. The awkward Mai thing was always something I had in mind. She's not an idiot but sometimes she's simply too literal for her own good. And yes, a word about the texting. I'm really sorry if the dots on the text are irritating. You see, I suck at text speak but I found a way around it. I once did an essay on discourse comprehension and I found that people automatically and unconsciously infer the emotions, pauses and any other communication cues whilst talking or texting and not just their own but other people's too. In phone text for this fanfic any pauses that seem strantge are more or less from the recievers point of view. It will occur less and less with familiarity I assure you.**

**Randomlyrite: I will. I will keep the awesomeness coming so help me god. Adios amigos!**

Chapter 7:

**The Unexpected**

Previously…

_Moving my head slowly I looked up behind me and stared stunned._

"_...Mai?" He uttered in soft astonishment._

_His name was out of my mouth before I could stop it._

"_...Ichigo."_

**A few minutes before…**

The night was striking.

The crickets sang and the breeze mingled in perfectly with the slight intrusion of the forewarned summer warmth. It would have been peaceful. It should have been the type of night that promoted friendship and movie night; the teenage excitement known to prelude the scent of the coming holiday months.

The fireflies that normally danced in the enchanting night light of the Karasu River were caught fluttering around trees and bushes bringing a fantastical impression of an ordinary town… with layers of freakishness that transcended normal freakishness, a town with ghosts and hollows and soul reapers…

But really it was quite pretty.

…_Who the hell cares?_

Ichigo Kurosaki glowered at the twinkling sight of nightlights.

Having already past Tatsuki's house, Chad's house, the supermarket and circling twice around Mashiba Middle school Ichigo was more than ready to call it a night.

"This way Ichigo! Just one more pass, that ought to do it!"

…But his miniature, forever perched on his shoulder pain in the neck Miss Rukia, I'd die for Chappy Kuchiki, _wasn't_.

The irritably inclined boy watched with his cheek twitching in disbelief as she walked, with a bounce, several steps in front of him looking constantly from her phone to her surroundings. Every now and then she'd pause, point at something and beckon for him, her _mule_ to, at her ladies request, slay the big bad monsters of the night.

…_Where did she get all her energy?_

Unfortunately whenever he arrived at the exact spot she'd described there wasn't a hollow in sight. They'd been out walking for well over an hour… not a single hollow.

_Typical… _he thought with a huff. _When you're not looking for them fifty appear out of nowhere to ruin your day. When you want just one to show up, you get tumbleweed._

He saw Rukia pause again and watched as her eyebrows slowly furrowed in concentration.

_She's tiny… she can't have that much energy to spare._

It was difficult to believe that this… _girl_… was the same person who'd showed up at his house just a couple of weeks ago dressed like a samurai and slicing through the thick arm of a hollow.

And here she was, dressed in his little sister's summer dress.

Appearances can be so deceptive.

And he'd been grateful to her at the time but…

…But that didn't mean that she wasn't, as he stated constantly, a pain in the frigging neck.

With his feet heavy on the pavement Ichigo scowled towards the source of his current qualm. "She dragged my ass all this way… not a damn hollow in sight…"

"Oh, another signal! This way!"

His forehead throbbed. "Here's a wish, may all your chappy crap burn. I'll do it myself; I'll take your stupid pictures _and_ your chappy mug and have myself a little bonfire…"

Ignoring his every word (he'd been muttering jadedly to himself for the past twenty minutes now) Rukia hoped, no prayed to the Spirit King himself that they found a hollow soon. Driven though she was even she had limits and they were being pushed. Neither she nor Ichigo could go back to his home while the tracker on her phone beeped. If they missed just one possible hollow it would mean the consumption of a lost spirits or the life of an innocent civilian.

But the phone wasn't working properly. They'd arrive at a specified place only for the beeper to stop completely rendering them in silence.

They both came to a stop somewhere on the north side of Karakura Community Park.

Again, there was nothing.

"Oh look. No hollow. Shocker."

He _really_ wasn't helping. Grinding her teeth at his sardonic words she fumed down at her phone.

_What was wrong with this thing?_

"…Rukia?"

"Just a second…"

"No Rukia, I…"

"Just one second Ichigo!"

"RUKIA!"

Startled she whirled around to look at him. "Whoa! Hey, what's your…" She trailed off at the look on his face.

He was frowning at the ground and though this wasn't an altogether unusual thing for him to do it was his stance that caught her tongue.

Where before it was slumped and sluggish it was now straight backed and tense. His jaw tightened minutely and his eyes gazed into the concrete pavement unseeingly.

"Do you feel that?" He asked her without looking up.

Looking askance of her Rukia tried to focus as hard as she could with the limited amount of reitsu she'd reacquired in the past weeks. Her head pounded with the effort involved but she couldn't sense a thing. Perplexed she stared back at her friend. "Ichigo, I can't sense anything."

Abruptly he sucked in a sharp breath and looked up towards the park pointing somewhere ahead of them with a finger. "_That_. You're telling me you can't feel that?"

Shaking her head with a concerned frown she watched as he brought a hand to his chest clutching at the fabric of his shihaksho there as if his heart were in pain.

His eyes clear, Ichigo exhaled and was sure he recognised the sensation he was feeling. With a furrowed brow he glanced towards the park again. _Mai…_

"Ichigo?" He heard Rukia's voice but tuned her out for a moment.

He couldn't be positive but… in any case he had to go check it out.

"Oh my…"

Looking towards Rukia he saw her eyes widen down at her phone. "What is it? Another false alarm?"

"N-no, there's a swarm of them heading this way. Just down there." She pointed.

"Swarm?"

"Oh yeah." She confirmed.

Without warning two hollows charged out from the trees left of them. Unexpectedly however they didn't immediately turn towards them. Instead they headed off in the same direction Rukia had pointed. Ichigo smirked cockily as a sudden rush of adrenaline took him unawares.

"Well, it's about time! Look out hollows, here I come!"

And with that Ichigo charged into the fray with his huge hollow dispensing weapon waving dangerously above his head.

Rukia sweatdropped at his battle charge. _Well, at least he's more awake now…_

Distracted, the first hollow wasn't granted even one second of warning before Ichigo's large zanpacto tip was imbedded directly in the middle of its mask.

"Take that!"

_He's killed one hollow and already he thinks he's king. _Rukia shook her head… then gasped and dodged to the side. "Ichigo, three more!"

"What?!"

He turned and promptly cursed. There were indeed three more one of which already had a powerless Rukia on the run, its large feet stomping without rhythm as it pursued her.

Light on his feet Ichigo ran forward bringing his sword up in both hands allowing it to scrape across the ground as he sliced up into the neck of a hollow.

He'd gotten used to the weight of his weapon by now; he no longer hesitated like before.

Cut… dodge… slash… That's all it was about really.

It wasn't so difficult.

But almost immediately he ran into the same problem he'd discovered the night before. Using this method of fighting Ichigo could only battle one hollow at a time. It left him wide open and he knew it…

…He'd just never cared about it until now.

Jumping high over a fence he sliced through the side of another hollow and on landing swerved around to knock its block off.

He lifted his head in time to witness Rukia running for her life… _again_.

Cursing he shot forward and, as he neared her, glimpsed out of the corner of his eye a figure jump easily over a 15 foot wall and land without stumbling. Frowning he carved a right angle cutting through the legs of the hollow hunting Rukia and it flopped forwards with a pitiful roar almost squishing her.

"Hey, be more careful in fu- ICHIGO!" She exclaimed in objection as he ignored her, almost immediately sprinting away from her.

The figure he'd just seen had been rammed into side on and was currently scraping bodily against the gravel. The hollow responsible was stronger than the others but it wasn't the hollow that made him move as he did now.

With speed he didn't care to comprehend he diced a hollow to his left, cleaved through the skull on his right all the while keeping an anxious eye on the human ahead of him. He didn't even feel the need to look at where he was aiming; every hit landed precisely where he'd meant it too. As if his limbs were doing the fighting for him.

Hot tendrils of energy blew softly against his skin incurring a deep and foreign urge within him to reach for the source… and a tightening of his gut; a response he couldn't even begin to understand.

But he didn't need to chase it down… because she was right there in front of him.

And as he closed in on her the hollow nearest to her moved in for the kill; its jaw opening sickeningly wide as it let out an ear-splitting roar and the raw energy issuing from its prey climaxed.

The feel of it made it difficult for Ichigo to breathe.

The energy itself was a flux of out of control emotion mixed together with a healthy shot of something so primal and primordial it caused shivers in its victims i.e. all the hollows, Ichigo and Rukia. The hollows stilled unnaturally and Rukia coughed suddenly breathless.

Ichigo just ploughed through, impatient to finally get the answers to so many questions.

He stepped in just in time to block the savage blow from the hollow onto the girl. He looked down at her and waited as he strained against the bulk behind him.

Her back stiffened and he heard her gasp quietly.

Moving slowly out of the lethal attack position she'd secured for herself she turned her head and looked behind her towards him. The first thing he glimpsed was her eyes…

…And immediately felt like a marked man.

They glowed; bright, burning, hot and cold, safe and undeniably perilous… green and penetratingly deep.

His stomach clenched and he truly felt as if he were in danger.

But…

He was also oddly captivated.

She was so interesting it was actually treacherous.

"...Mai?" He uttered in soft astonishment.

Said girl stared at him; surprise, wonder, adrenaline, and concern shining through the brightness of her energy.

"…Ichigo?" She murmured.

Hearing his first name and not his last did something strange to him; like his body had plunged down off of a cliff and his hands had only just managed to grasp the face edge. His muscles clenched as he felt the low growl of the hollows around him take in her scent; like dogs, or sharks.

She had to move… right now.

"What the hell are you _doing_ here?!" He growled down at her.

She blinked and her mouth opened and closed before she regained her voice.

"What am _I_ doing here? What are _you_ doing here?"

He rolled his eyes. "What do you think genius? My job!"

Her eyes flickered to his shinigami robes and then her head ducked further down to look through the bottom of his widely positioned legs towards the gaping form of Rukia Kuchiki. "I can see that…" She waved to Rukia and the girl managed a disbelieving kind of hand jerk.

"So you _can_ see me."

It was kind of obvious; she'd been looking right at him the whole time. He'd been distracted by the bright energy in her eyes and covering her form but it hadn't completely escaped his notice.

And he felt the knowledge settle comfortably and satisfyingly in his chest.

One secret down; a million more to go.

…Should be fun.

Looking at him directly in the face she nodded. Then her eyes drifted over his shoulder and she pointed. "Er, you need to get rid of him."

He arched a brow. "Him?"

"The hollow."

"It's a he?"

"It's a he." She confirmed as she pressed her lips together in insecurity.

"And how do you-" Before he could finish the hollow behind him, aggravated at being ignored pushed down on his back and Ichigo's legs buckled under the pressure.

Straining, he grunted and pushed back letting his sword swing out behind him as he did so. It sliced deeply into the hollow's chest and it staggered backwards. Taking a breath he noticed Mai step forward with a concerned expression on her face.

"You're injured."

_I'm injured? _

He looked down and scowled further. He'd been scratched twice; large bloody gashes, one on his left arm and the other across the top of his shoulder and to his back. How had he missed them? The whole time he'd been running to help her he hadn't paid much attention to his surroundings; it should have worried him more but it didn't. Mostly he was vexed at his inability to guard his side.

"I'm fine." He muttered gruffly. Self conscious, he gestured to the many hollows slowly surrounding them. "It's just… there are a lot of them."

Mai sighed. "I noticed. They've been chasing me."

"That's where they kept going off to?" Rukia called out as she ran towards them; the stump legged hollow crawled pitifully after her.

Mai nodded sheepishly. "I tried losing them in the park but they didn't give up."

"They wouldn't, not with how _you_ smell." Muttered Ichigo under his breath.

"Sorry?" She asked.

He shook his head. "Nothing."

"Er Mai, why are you glowing?"

The vivid glow of her energy reflected eerily in Rukia's eyes as they moved over Mai's face.

"Ah…" Mai blinked then bit her lip. "I honestly have no idea."

She looked away from Rukia who glanced somewhat dumbly at Ichigo (the guy just shrugged perplexedly) and towards the hollows.

They looked threateningly peculiar; they just stood there with their awkward bodies and continued to stare at her, at them.

_Gee_… she'd hoped that her stint with supernatural attention would somewhat decrease after the previous evening but as usual she received the opposite of her wish.

It is amazing though; fear of the dark is omnipresent. The possibilities of what could reside in the dark places of the world create an irrational basis for nightmares in most individuals. But only a small percentage of those people truly understand why.

Now Mai was one of those people.

She wasn't sure if she should be thankful or not.

"Why are they staring at you?" Rukia asked.

…_Because I'm an affront to nature perhaps?_

"I'm kind of more concerned about the fact that any minute now we're about to become hollow food." Said Mai cautiously and it was true; the hollows wouldn't stand there all night and were already twitching out of their stiff positions. Her eyes darted from one hollow to the next searching for a weak spot but what did she even know about hollow slaying?

Lifting his heavy looking zanpacto across his shoulders Ichigo snorted. "Not if I have anything to say about it."

Rukia frowned at his nerve; where normally admirable it was now impractical. "There are a lot of them Ichigo and you're not exactly unhurt."

"I'm not just going to stand here and do nothing."

"I know that but…"

"What, do you have some kind of a master plan hidden up that obnoxiously happy dress you're wearing?" He ignored the staggeringly threatening glare the annoying midget threw his way and continued. "Because I'd _love_ to hear it any time now…"

"No I don't but…"

"Tag and bag them."

Eyes darting towards Mai both Ichigo and Rukia looked nonplussed. "Huh?" They said in unison.

Glancing quickly and tensely at Ichigo she swallowed. "I tag them then you bag them." She shrugged using one shoulder and it looked incredibly awkward on her. "What do you think?" She asked quietly and hurriedly as if trying to convey that they had in fact only seconds to devise a plan of action involving only an injured substitute soul reaper, an ex- genuine soul reaper who was dried out and practically useless and… Mai, whatever she was. Oh yeah, she glowed… not much help there.

Looking at her briefly Ichigo's eyes scanned the line of hollows and found his scowl hardening, his jaw tightening; he didn't like the way this was going.

_I tag them… you bag them._

_What do you think?_

What did he _think_?

At that second he would have loved to have peered at her haughtily and in all his glorified masculinity as he said the words '_no way in hell_' in a plain and resoundingly deep baritone that suggested he had everything under control and didn't need the help of his friend to get out of this situation in one piece.

He wasn't a chauvinist. It had nothing to do with the fact that she was female. He knew with a clearer mindset than any other guy his age that girls could more or less take care of themselves. But in _this_ circumstance, where he was doing his damn hardest of upholding the supposedly honourable position (according to Rukia, he wasn't sure if she wasn't just trying to comfort herself with the words) of being the town's protector, a job in which he failed to maintain the other night when Mai…

He couldn't let her place herself in harms way like this.

Not again and definitely not by his choice.

He opened his mouth to tell her this, to convey as best he could with the limited sensitivity he felt he possessed that she had to play the part of a damsel and behave accordingly while he got sliced up, but the moment he caught her gaze the words died on his tongue and his mouth sealed shut.

_Don't._

Her eyes were begging for his trust.

He could see that she knew how dicey the idea was. For her to make herself a target and reel in the hollows so that he could subsequently eliminate them was an idea that floated perilously on the edge of stupid. _He_ was the soul reaper not her. But then he remembered how she held off against an upper level hollow to give Chad time to escape, how she could see everything he could see when nobody else excluding Rukia could. How he'd opened a secret door within her just for the purpose of satisfying _his_ curiosity and how she continued to both surprise and draw him in over and over again.

He had to remind himself that not too long ago he was just an average human too, one who, like her, could see ghosts and hollows and now he was a substitute soul reaper.

Had he ever truly been normal in any sense of the word? Had she?

If the faint glow still pulsating outward from her form was any indication he'd have to answer that with a stony 'no'.

Taking in her strong, unwavering gaze he was forced to realise something else; he was only as good as his word. And what was that word worth if he failed once again to protect simply because of his fear to acknowledge that he couldn't succeed without her? It would be without substance, totally worthless and Ichigo was nothing if not a man of his word. If he vouched that he could handle the line of hollows facing him without aid then the promise would have to be truth.

…Only that it really wasn't; there were too many of them.

And Mai…

His eyes flickered back to her.

Her brow had started to crinkle and she pulled at her lower lip hesitantly.

_Oh hell. _

She was thinking about his safety.

And he had a feeling that he wouldn't be able to stop her once she decided to act.

Even if he did hate the idea.

He exhaled heavily. "I'm going to regret this." He muttered as he dragged a hand roughly through his hair.

By the surprised expression on her face followed by the minute smile on her lips he figured she took that as his assent.

"Go." He ordered before he changed his mind.

She did.

And what he witnessed next couldn't have shocked him any more than if a herd of pink elephants suddenly stampeded through the area (and let's face it, at this moment in time within the walls of Karakura that kind of thing really could happen). Or if his father suddenly became the straight man before proclaiming that after years of lies he was in fact female.

One moment she was there and the next she was running at the hollows, gaining on them, almost there… through the slight gap in the line… _past_ them… still running. Ah…

The hollows were so puzzled by the behaviour they actually paused to look from each other then back to Mai. Ichigo could practically see the sweat drops on their skulls.

"Er, was 'tag them' another phrase for 'run away'?" Asked Rukia straight faced.

Ichigo just closed his eyes for a second, asking for patience.

But then Mai turned around.

And by the expression on her face there was no question about her intentions.

Her feet slammed loudly against tarmac and by the glare of her energy he could no longer see the pupils of her eyes. She jumped high into the air vanishing for a moment before two glowing feet smashed heavily and almost silently into an absolutely stunned hollow.

For half a second it hung in the air paralysed.

Then it flew backwards towards Ichigo who, startled, almost dodged out of its way before it came to a well aimed stop at his feet. Somewhat confused the hollow looked up at Ichigo who, more than a little dumbfounded himself, simply poked it in the head with his zanpacto.

He glanced up at Mai and blinked.

"Oh… uh, ah…hm." Rukia spluttered before wisely closing her mouth.

Mai didn't look at them.

Her eyes were flickering from each of the hollows as they stretched and moved to strike at her. They weren't happy. She looked so amazingly tiny amongst them. Then they all roared in her face and Ichigo saw her jump slightly (_Hn… she's afraid?)_ before shooting off to the left and this time they all moved with her.

Feeling like he knew what she was about to do he moved forwards slowly; both hands tightly griping the hilt of his soul cutting tool feeling the blunt scratches pull on his arms and he watched her with tense eyes.

Mai's upper body twisted round once she neared the corner and found herself grasping the pole of a lamppost as she pulled herself off the floor swinging around, feet first, to level the nearest hollow in its skull. Feeling the resounding crash as the hollow landed on its ass she lashed a foot out towards the back of its head hearing the slight hiss of her energy hurting it. Using the momentum of her move she skidded through the legs of the second surprising the third behind it as she ran up its body; her right foot pushing off its thigh to its shoulder before landing a flashing left punch to its super hard skull. Her hands steadied herself on the falling of the hollow's shoulders before pushing off in a backwards flip.

Something flashed in her mind's eye and she moved swiftly to the side barely avoiding the mighty fist of the enraged hollow. Running again she ignored the scrape on her shoulder and looked back to find Kurosaki already taking care of the hollow whose head she'd kicked. He landed on its chest, sword already deep within the cracked mask and it vanished in a silent ripple as its core was tinted in a slight blue light.

Him working with her felt… Different. It felt… nice.

The pensive expression fell off her face when she realised she was running, with five or six hollows on her tail, straight for a collision course with Rukia.

The girl in question almost drooped believing in the solid concept of her apparently unfortunate kismet.

"Oh dear god." She breathed disbelievingly and apprehensively as she observed for just a moment the image of Mai wide eyed and running for her life with beefy hungry hollows chasing her.

Then just as she thought Mai and her posse would flatten her more effectively than a rolling pin to bread dough the girl swept her off her feet, literally. As her shoulder pushed into Rukia's navel her arms wrapped around her legs and she continued to run, in fact she hadn't stopped once.

"What are you doing?!" Rukia screeched as she failed to secure a decent grip on the back of the girl's shirt.

"Trust me!" Mai shouted back, the added weight hardly seeming to bother her. "I know what I'm doing!" She looked behind her towards the angry horde of soul eaters. "Well, sort of." She admitted hesitantly causing her load to squawk indignantly.

Almost immediately after she spoke she leaped out of the way of another white fist; one of the hollows had retractable arms and was probably one of the few progressing to the next level in its power. That's when she sped up.

Making sure Rukia was completely affixed to her Mai, in some subconscious intuitive sense, pumped energy through her system. The resulting speed caused the surrounding environment in Rukia's vision to blur.

She barely felt the movement of Mai's legs as they flew over concrete. But the girl's energy left her stranded in a feeling of assailment. Blinking thoughtfully her eyes began to narrow. Then her body stiffened. The overwhelming focus of the strange power caused an almost uncontrollable sense of vulnerability within her, complete with a sheer need to do _something_… to defend herself from the source, to turn hostile and prevent its surge to power.

Such a strong reaction it was that Rukia felt her fingers dig into the skin of Mai's back of their own accord. She wanted off of her but she couldn't move. Ancient memories forced their way upwards from the deep in a haze of foreign sentiment readying her body to attack her everlasting, relentless and ubiquitous foe before it was too late…

"It's alright Rukia, I've got you."

Hearing Mai's composed voice pushed through Rukia's inner alarm and she found herself relaxing. Frowning suddenly at the abrupt serenity of Mai's reitsu she clung to the girl's school shirt feeling somewhat foolish for being carried like an errant child.

And feeling somewhat confused by the state of her emotional awareness and the affect that Mai's reitsu seemed to have on her. One minute she was frozen in a position of dread and the next she'd relaxed into the utter fidelity of the energy.

She looked down, watching the footwork of her carrier curiously.

Strange indeed.

Then she was lifted high into the air.

Glancing behind her Mai couldn't help the wave of anxiety at seeing that her speed was doing little good anymore. There were only so many times she could circle the park; any further and she'd risk putting innocent civilians in jeopardy. Her eyes flickered around her searching for the black shihaksho and daring orange locks that emboldened her friend.

Her eyes found him to her left. He looked up and met her gaze just as he took out another straggler and immediately understood the concern in her expression. Then his eyes widened slightly at the sight of Rukia being carried like a wild cat over one of her shoulders.

He moved instantly.

Mai's feet pushed off the ground forcing her muscles to cooperate in a high jump that should have been impossible whilst carrying Rukia. Once she reached its apex she looked down expectantly.

Just underneath and appearing suddenly from the left Kurosaki bounded into the hollow closing in on the two girls. He ran it through before it could stop itself from colliding into him and then sprinted off towards the right side of the road.

The pattern worked. Mai would create an opening that Ichigo would take advantage of.

And even Rukia had to admit that it was a decent plan given the small amount of time they had to prepare. "Not bad." She mumbled grudgingly. It was hard to be appreciative from her uncomfortable position.

"TO YOUR RIGHT!"

Reacting instinctively to Ichigo's shout Mai barely had enough time to gasp as she quickly manoeuvred out of the way of the rather large hollow stampeding at her from the right…

…Only to leave herself completely wide open as she positioned herself for an attack to her back.

Shouting out in panic and feeling once again frustratingly useless at her lack of power Rukia went flying as Mai was hammered in the back. Just when she thought she was about to do a kamikaze into the concrete strong arms circled around her. She felt the body holding her slam painfully into something.

Blinking her eyes open she couldn't quite understand what it was she was seeing at first.

She wasn't in Ichigo's arms; she was lying in Mai's.

The anomalous girl had been sent carousing into the side of a car and a very visible dent had been left as evidence. Mai's eyes were closed in a grimace of what Rukia could only assume was pain.

"Mai?" She muttered somewhat dumbfounded.

Shock jolted through her when Mai's eyes immediately opened. They weren't swimming in pain either; they were an ocean of calm. "That was fun." The girl said quietly before smiling softly and understandably at Rukia.

Before she could utter any form of rebuttal she watched Mai's eyes flicker to behind her form and they sharpened dangerously.

"Crap. Rukia, you need to get off me." She muttered hurriedly.

Turning in confusion Rukia exclaimed when as she stared at the hollow who'd attacked them charging hungrily and manically for them.

"Ichigo!" She shouted for help, knowing that he wouldn't make it in time but still trying anyway. The creature's footsteps thundered on the concrete.

Wide eyed, Rukia could only watch as the Hollow reached for them…

Only to be intercepted.

A hand, an unfurled glowing hand with its fingers pointed perpendicular from the ground and to the sky protruded out from the back of the thin mask made of bone.

And then an explosion of energy rocked the air.

A thin layer of verve circled her arm rupturing out along the limb down to about a metre in length from her finger tips where it pulsed. You could hear it; a loud whirr of natural energy. Then her hand fisted suddenly and pulled forcefully out from the mask watching absently as the dying creature roared and exploded in a cloud of light particles.

Staring down at her fist Mai blinked slowly and swallowed. She had felt the energy build so vehemently and rapidly that she'd actually had trouble breathing for a moment when she'd acted without aforethought.

As if it were simply in her nature.

She'd moved around Rukia resolutely without thinking about the apparently impossible idea of flesh battling against supernatural skull impediments and had spread her fingers straight and flat and had plunged them forwards and upwards.

It had been painful but it had also felt supremely excellent.

And for a moment she'd suffered the emotional output of a creature denied its rightful peace in an afterlife of confusion. All of its desire, its need, its emptiness and she'd eradicated it all leaving clearly the bright light of the soul within.

One perfect moment of peace for a spirit long since forgotten by the world of the living.

There was a long silence in which Ichigo stared fixedly on Mai's hand. Rukia, sprawled dumbfounded on the pavement searched the area and realised that they were, finally, alone.

They'd done it.

Gazing around her at the lack of hollow presence Mai Li brought her hand up to her face almost covering her mouth in shock.

"Holy _shit_." She breathed locking eyes with a bewildered Ichigo. He blinked at her.

_Well that's one way to put it._

Yeah… shock.

He walked towards her slowly, his eyes drifting from the gradually dimming glow encompassing her form towards the somewhat shell shocked Rukia who sat child-like on the tarmac.

He simply raised an eyebrow at her and it brought Rukia back down to earth. She rolled her eyes at him and made to stand.

Looking back towards Mai he spoke. "Are you alright?"

She nodded absently. "Yeah…"

"What was that?"

Mai exhaled and shook her head. "I'm not sure." She frowned and looked down at her hand again. "It hurt." _A lot, _she thought. She was pretty sure she'd have trouble moving her fingers in the morning if the throbbing pain was anything to go by. The muscles had been pushed too far for one night.

Furrowed brows over soft, troubled eyes took her in. "It hurt?" Ichigo stepped closer to her. "Do you need healing?" Assuming automatically that if she did Rukia would aid her.

Mai raised a brow. "Healing? No, I'm fine… thank you." She looked around the edge of the park again. "You took them all out. I'm sorry." She shook her head self deprecatingly. "I really wasn't much help at all was I?" The half smile she wore was shamefaced and delicate.

His scowl returned.

She didn't think she'd helped?

_Is she joking? _

He figured that she was probably in disbelief at her own actions and she wasn't the only one. The resounding hum of her power had made the short hairs on the back of his neck rise. But as she stood there, a hand raised to clasp the back of her neck, all he could do was frown seriously at the sight and sound of her faint uncertainty, her insecurity.

That wasn't a sentiment he'd come to associate with her.

Caught up in his thoughts he felt hands on his arm and turned, startled to find that Rukia had already moved silently over to him to heal his wounds. She'd told him about a week ago that if she didn't heal him immediately post hollow hunt he'd suffer from them at an even greater intensity later when his soul resided inside his body. Since his spirit was apparently loaded with reitsu it made sense to think that any injury suffered whilst in his shinigami form hurt half as less than it would otherwise.

Concentrating, Rukia tugged a ripped piece of his robe away from his shoulder with the fingers of her left and pressed her right hand against the red of his wound. It'd been a great many years since she'd first laid eyes on a bleeding injury. Back then, so hopeless and afraid of everything underneath the surface, she'd outwardly hardened herself and got stuck into treating the sight. If anyone saw her sweat or shake at all they'd kept quiet about it.

Wounds only reminded Rukia that no matter how strong a person had become or how high up they were on the social and economical ladder, they were still equal to everyone else in the grand scheme of things.

She'd clung to that belief desperately in her early years at the academy. Giving Ichigo a fleeting look she started to heal him. Influencing her reitsu to perform Kido, to heal specific injuries or to just create a pretty fireworks display, even with a low level of spiritual energy Rukia still beat many members of the Thirteen Court Guard Squads with her mastery of the demon way.

Realising how drained he must have felt, Rukia concentrated on healing him as quickly as possible.

Tucking some loose hair behind one ear Mai turned away from her stare at the ground. She looked up and found Ichigo still staring at her a few feet away. Tilting her head slightly sideways at him she gave a small tentative smile, the sole function of which was to simply express genuine warmth. Just because. He was her friend, one she considered trustworthy who'd trusted her in return.

After a long moment he looked away and down left where Rukia was finishing his healing. Remembering his words earlier Mai bit her lip hoping he didn't regret accepting her help.

"And… I'm done." Muttered Rukia. She stood and patted Ichigo's now restored shihaksho.

Mai's eyebrows creased at the sight: the ripped cloth had indeed been repaired. _Now _that_ was interesting_.

Ichigo rolled his shoulder and nodded a thank you at Rukia, barely covering a yawn in the process.

The peace of the area reminded all of them of their fatigue. Now that the danger was over the urge to sleep overrode all else.

Shoving a hand roughly through his hair he came to a decision.

"Mai?" He said.

She blinked. "Yes?"

"I'm walking you home."

She reacted just as he thought she would.

"Say what?"

He looked at her seriously. "You heard me."

She shook her head. "Kurosaki, it's not…"

"It's not necessary, I know." He finished her sentence matter-of-factly and still ignored it anyway.

"But you must be exhausted." She argued. Then, eyes darting around as if trying to find a distraction she suddenly pointed westward. "If I cut through the centre of Mashiba I'll…"

Tuning out her argument he scowled pensively as he noticed something and found his eyes focusing on her aloft arm.

It was trembling.

He looked back towards her face and she faltered, seeing his glance. Too late she brought her arm back to her side. She shifted her feet and looked back towards him earnestly, then spoke quietly. "Please, you don't need to help me."

She was used to taking care of herself. He knew that. Everyday he'd observed it seeping through her. She was a survivor; someone so painfully accustomed to being alone that she didn't understand how to receive an offer of help with any kind of natural grace.

Fortunately/unfortunately for her Ichigo Kurosaki didn't know when to quit.

Sighing he moved forwards. Her head tilted to look at him curiously. Once he reached her he lifted his zanpacto over his soldiers and into its sheath and considered her. Slowly, very slowly, he wrapped the fingers of his right hand completely around her left forearm and tugged.

She stumbled forwards and he moved backwards with the motion. Turning on one foot he began to walk towards home pulling her with him. "If I turn my back on you, you'll just disappear on me again." His eyes shifted to look at her side on. "You do that a lot."

A look of surprised disagreement flickered across her face before it faded into an, 'oh yeah, I do that don't I?' expression.

His lips threatened to lift.

"And what happed to Ichigo?" He asked noticing how Rukia had begun to follow them form behind.

"What do you mean?" Mai asked openly.

"You called me Ichigo earlier. Now you're back to Kurosaki." He said passively as his footsteps tapped lightly across the sidewalk.

"Oh."

"It's annoying."

"Why?"

"Friends should call each other by their first name; it's good manners, don't you know that?"

An eyebrow rose on Mai's forehead. "It is?"

"Yes. It is."

She frowned. "But you refer to Orihime as Inoue."

He paused for a second in thought. "…That's different."

"Why?"

"It just is." He said with a shrug.

She blinked. "…Okay."

His grip never once loosened on her arm and it didn't occur to Mai to mention it or to complain. Instead, about ten minutes into their walk she'd glanced down at it for a minute.

"You have large hands." She alleged quietly.

Ichigo's eyebrows rose. "Hm?"

She gave him a quick look. "Your hands are big. Here…" She lifted her right arm and without touching his skin placed her long fingers to hover over the ones gripping her. They were much smaller.

"See?" She said with a slight smile of discovery.

He just looked at her.

"Oh…" He glanced down at the sight of her fingers overlapping his. He could just feel the warmth of her palm. He frowned, contemplating the limb. "They are big… I never noticed that before." It surprised him for some reason; he'd never compared his hand size to anyone nor had he ever thought about it.

He hummed thoughtfully and they continued to walk.

Rukia stared at them.

Then she smacked the palm of her hand against her forehead and closed her eyes.

_Unbelievable._

* * *

**Shouten**

Urahara stared down into the device he held and released a breath. "…Just as I thought."

"What? What is it? Did it work?" Jinta called out to him, standing as still as he possibly could in the yard in front of the store.

Urahara simply smiled and tapped on the screen in his hand. "They clustered together within ten minutes of her exit. That would make it…" He checked the time on the display monitor. "About one hour after we slipped it to her…"

"How effective was the capsule?" Tessai asked with crossed arms.

His smile transformed immediately into a smirk. "Extremely. It worked a little too well actually. She's not going to be happy."

"How long would you give her?"

"Before she calls? Any moment now…"

And almost immediately his phone, which coincidentally happened to be out alongside the device of unknown function, chirped into the night. Urahara flipped it open and put it to his ear.

"Why hello there!" He cried out jovially.

On the other side of the line Mai's voice could be heard clearly with the speaker on.

"_Urahara you trickster, the hollows converged on me and I think you know why."_

He blinked innocently even though she couldn't see it. "What do you mean?"

"_I mean that about ten minutes after I left your store every hollow within a five mile radius was drawn in my direction, or more precisely towards me. I believe you know the cause behind this." _

Wincing slightly at the reality of what he'd done (and the small fact that he couldn't help but find it somewhat humorous) he looked down and shuffled his feet. "Well… you know that tea you drank?"

"_Yes?"_

He let out a foolish giggle; it was more like a nervous plea to the heavens. "…It was spiked."

To Mai he talked like it was an amusing joke. Like a college boy at a college party spiking his friend's beer with vodka 40% proof.

"_You… YOU WHAT? Oh…"_

He heard a slight shuffling sound on the other end. "_S-sorry…" _He heard her mutter to somebody who she'd probably scared with her shout.

He sighed and looked towards Tessai with a pathetic beam. _Whoops…_

"_You spiked my tea? You actually spiked my tea? People actually do that?"_

"Nope! Just me."

"_What's wrong with you?" _She said dead-pan.

"Alright." Moving his head to gaze into the distance he answered her seriously. "I promise it wouldn't have hurt you, nothing serious like that…"

"_Nothing serious? I just had a _serious_ run in with a small troupe of hollows and you say it was nothing serious?"_

He knew that. The fact that she was talking to him now was a kind of obvious confirmation of her safety. "You're perfectly fine now though, _right_?"

He heard her exhale. "_Only because of Kurosaki, thankfully."_

"Oh, the hero arrived on time did he?!" He queried cheerfully.

"…_You planned this didn't you? The hollow perusal, Ichigo's arrival, their eradication, you planned the whole thing."_

He tipped his head towards the physically absent party. "Guilty."

"_Why?"_

"I was measuring the productivity of your energy levels in relation to the usually attractive magnetism reitsu naturally seeps. To do this I had to increase your output but ten." He stood there, quite still and relatively calm in the open air. "I had a theory. It turned out to be correct." It usually did.

He expected a tirade of angry questions but instead received a curious enquiry.

"_Your conclusion?"_

"You have no control, other than its basic functioning, over your energy. It's a homing beacon towards the unfilled; the hollows. Despite its similarities to reitsu, it's fundamentally different so they're probably confused by its impression and oscillation." The hat covering half his face in darkness Kisuke frowned. "I don't know how this relates to the yokai as of yet but I fear that with you being able to sense them, and with you being a wanted commodity to the un-whole spirits…" He let the sentence trail off; she was intelligent enough to grasp its finale.

She needed help.

"_I see."_

"The effects of the amplifier I administered to you have already worn off. You shouldn't expect another attempt on your life like the one tonight." But it was an example of what _could_ happen should she gain strength without control.

"_I understand. I need to learn control… Er, how do I do that?"_

His lips turned up at the corners. "Don't worry, I'll help."

"_Thank you. Oh, and about that question? The one you didn't actually ask. I think I figured it out."_

His eyebrow rose. "…And? Your answer?"

"…_Yes."_

"Are you sure?" He asked quietly. It was a serious point of responsibility.

"_I am. I promise." _

"What changed?"

"_Nothing. I would have said yes either way. It's the right thing to do."_

"Oh." He was left momentarily speechless by that.

"_And… I want to. Even if that reality scares me." _She spoke tentatively.

It was obvious to him that she would feel this way. "It shouldn't. In fact it makes a lot of sense." He replied gently.

"_How so?"_

"Another theory of mine." He didn't elaborate and she didn't ask.

_Will you impede the yokai?_

…_Yes. I will._

Kisuke Urahara knew the implications of what Mai was but her energy reactions and emissions were something he was having difficulty grasping. His first thought hadn't connected clearly with his second but now… what with her similar treating of both the hollows and the yokai…

Maybe… maybe, she was exactly what she was meant to be.

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	9. The Importance of Being Ichigo Part 1

Disclaimer: Thou shall not dare own Bleach… except its originals.

**Sorry, guys. Really don't have any time at _all_ to reply to your reviews on here (I'm currently in the middle of a lecture...). Will expand on the reviews shortly I promise.**

**Thank you.**

Chapter 8:

**The Importance of Being (_who you are_) Ichigo (_and nothing else_) Part 1**

**Mai**

I realised a long time ago that it takes but a moment for the world to change around you. Until of course you realise that it is in fact you who has changed. This night was one of those glaring moments.

I felt lopsided; I'd more or less crawled up the stairs, seemingly avoiding the perkiness of Pei in the process and almost fell into my fortress of solitude, such as it is.

My arm was a lost cause.

By the way the limb screamed 'PAINFUL' in bold capitals I was almost certain I'd fractured it… with my _own_ energy. I'd actually managed to hurt myself with the uncontrolled rawness of my power. I hadn't been far off the mark when I'd referred to myself as a freak of nature.

There were bandages stored away in the cabinet of the bathroom in case of emergencies but I didn't think using them as a means of bracing would help at all. Thinking about what to do next I came within a hair's breath of calling my aunt for aid; she'd studied medicine before I was born, but the realisation that she'd ask me questions about how I'd injured my arm without causing surface damage knocked me back before I could take even a single step towards my bedroom door.

I didn't know what to do.

And I knew I'd have to find a suitable lie to use in future. It was obvious that this might be the first of many future injuries.

Oh… _joy_.

And what brilliant timing.

The first year at high school was the year a student was scrutinized the most and placed in abject categories designed to weed out the trouble makers from the elitist do-gooders and top model students.

It was also the year in which the family would begin to notice the subtle changes in their members.

So for all this to happen now and not five years down the line when I would be a fully grown adult… _really_ bad timing.

I let out a sigh and moved into the coolness of the bathroom. The dark cupboard was nailed and sealed to the wall next to the large black framed mirror positioned parallel to the shower. With nothing else to help myself with I began wrapping my arm tightly in bandage material and adhesive tape. I forced myself to breathe slowly through my clenched teeth; it came out in a hiss. The more I wound the material the more excruciating the pain became. The limb shook and even worse it was my right hand, my dominant hand.

The fingers of my left gripped at the white sink in front of me. Releasing the marble I brushed the hand roughly through my hair, untangling the knots absently and forced myself to calm down.

I felt incredibly on edge in my own home; the space I perceived to be a safe haven. I could feel the pressure of the town throbbing on my shoulders; a live weight of emotion, sin, reitsu, energy, life, and death leaving finger trails of wants, wishes, knowledge and fears over my soul.

But I didn't want to drown in it so I forced it to become white noise. The more I tried the more it tickled and pulled at me incessantly.

When I'd left Kurosaki I'd given Urahara a call. The fact that the hollows had been acting suspiciously and overly intensive had nipped at the back of my conscious since before I'd met up with my friends. Having it confirmed that I'd been used as a display for a scientists intrigue didn't make me feel better about it either.

Saying yes to his question though, I admit, made me feel somewhat… relieved.

Desire so deeply entrenched within the purpose of my being had been satisfied with my acquiescence to the plea of the verve laced throughout Karakura.

So ultimately I was a quinki-dink of epic proportions.

As I walked home the darkness stretched around me had hummed. Rather than the natural absence of presence within the void I'd felt instead, once again surrounded. The fabric of the divide between worlds was slowly weakening and I felt as if the smallest amount of pressure would unearth a horde of monstrosities.

I also couldn't help but think that Urahara had glazed over the topic of demonic entry into this world, the world of the living as he called it. That there was far more to the tale that he'd happily skipped over .

And he'd done so for my sake.

Welcome to Karakura Town: host to Hollows, yokai and soul reapers… trespass carefully.

When my mobile sung its too cheery song I accidentally banged my head against the side of the cabinet.

Mental note to self: change the tune before the next morning or else suffer an incredible drop in IQ and emotional leniency.

It reminded me too much of Urahara. Great.

I grimaced at the dull reflection of myself in the mirror. Then pushed off against the sink and turned slowly moving my sluggish self out of the bathroom. The soft wool of the carpet beneath my feet felt incredibly soothing in comparison to the chilled marble of the bathroom floor tiles. I plopped down at the end of my bed and grabbed my phone out of the school bag at my feet.

I glanced at the caller ID and blinked. Then my fingers worked at speed to answer; my good hand fumbled with the buttons.

"Ichigo?"

Immediately I felt a rush of red flash up my neck. It had just come out. Without my consent. _Again_. Oh, someone… just… _shoot_ me. In the foot. I give thee permission. My premeditated rules for social etiquette were being broken down one by one.

By _him_, as per usual, but he didn't seem to mind.

"_You killed a hollow with your fingers."_

I blinked. His voice was soft with drowsiness but the undertone of disbelief was still evident.

"Shouldn't you be going to sleep?" I glanced at my watch; it wasn't late yet but he could do with the extra hours.

"_I tried, believe me."_ I heard rustling in the background; bed covers being shifted. _"I kept quiet on the way back but… Mai how did you do that?"_

"Well…"

"_I haven't slept properly in close to 48 hours and any energy I regained was used up killing hollows. I'm that tired, and yet I still can't sleep because every time I close my eyes all I see is you. Glowing and shoving a hand through the skull of a hollow. What. The. Hell. Mai?"_

…Wow.

He'd seemed fine on the way back; I'd figured I'd have the rest of the night to think of what to do and say the following morning but… in fact I thought, by the composed expression he upheld as he'd pulled me forward that he wasn't even surprised by the sight of me… glowing.

_Earlier_

"_Are you sure?" He said; his eyes flickered over my face searching for clues._

_I smiled softly. "Yeah."_

_We'd stopped at an interchange and the hymn of traffic sounded out to us as we stood in a corner alley. Home was just ten minutes due north for me but Kurosaki's was maybe two minutes away… it had taken that long to convince him to allow me to walk the rest of the way. He just looked so… tired._

_He scratched the back of his neck. "Sorry about er, that." He gestured towards my arm. "I didn't mean to grip so hard." _

_I blinked. "You didn't." And I'd understood too. He'd needed to have a corporeal grasp on something he could control, something he could fix, could make better. _

_So he'd gone with his all-pervading urge to protect. The fact that it was me he'd chosen to focus on did nothing but confuse me._

_The tired smile he gave me spoke volumes of his appreciation._

I shook my head and brought myself back to the present. "What do you want me to say? I thought the action was pretty self-explanatory."

There was a brief silence; I heard an annoyed sigh before he spoke again. His tired drawl was slight, his voice quiet, and his tone no-nonsense.I pictured him sitting in the natural night light of his room, leaning the back of his head against a wall, his eyes closed and the scowl on his face softened in his self-imposed isolation.

"_You just shoved your fingers into its mask. Your fingers Mai. It was unreal. So don't tell me it was just 'pretty self-explanatory'."_

I bit my lip at his manner. "It was my first time; I don't really know how I did it." I answered honestly.

"_You always say something like that."_ He groaned.

Beyond annoyed with myself at how insecure suddenly I felt I closed my eyes. "I know, I'm sorry."

"_Wait, what? Hey, I'm not…" _I heard him exhale. _"Look, I'm not getting at you. It's just… it's really frustrating. Do you have any idea how that looked out there?"_

Well, yes considering I was in its epicentre. I furrowed my brows. "Was it really that surprising? I mean, after the… after the other night…" I meant to say after I'd gone nuclear but, well, it was a sensitive subject for me. It's not everyday you blow up.

"_The other night?"_ He paused for a second before I heard him suck in a breath. _"Jesus Christ, that really was you."_

I heard someone exclaim, '_that was her?!_' in a loud whisper in the background with him and I groaned internally. Ichigo more or less ignored it though.

My eyes stared down towards the carpet.

"Guilty."

"_Why didn't you say anything?"_

"What could I have said that wouldn't sound completely… insane?"

"_Good point."_

"Thank you."

"_So, do you want to tell me about it?" _I noted his use of words and choice of syntax; do you want to tell 'me' rather than do you want to talk about it in general?

"I experienced a moment of awakening. No biggie."

He laughed quietly and it surprised me; he really must be tired. _"You blew up and it was 'no biggie'?"_

I smiled and shook my head. "Well, it's not like it was a big thing." I shifted my bottom up on the mattress using my feet for leverage until my back rested comfortably against the headboard.

"_Right. It was just a _tiny_ energy bomb." _He said dryly.

"Absolutely. Tiny, tiny explosion."

"_It felt kinetic."_

"Sorry?"

"_The blast. I was thinking about it. It blew everything away but you didn't actually hurt anybody."_

My head tilted to the side as I thought about it. "It makes sense considering I don't possess any evil intent towards the innocent civilians of Karakura."

"_Say what?"_

"Emotive and physical intention has a pretty volatile effect on my energy dispersal." I explained.

"_Oh, ah erm, okay then. Oh wait, is that why you went nuclear? Because you lost control of your emotions?"_

The intuitive leap threw me. I mean I knew he was smart but, the guy didn't always show it. "Not… exactly." How was I supposed to convey across to him that his reitsu had pushed my own energy into blasting its way back into my life… but wasn't actually the cause of it.

Realisation hit me for a moment.

It pushed its way _back_ into my life?"

Then what had originally made my power sleep beneath the surface of my subconscious all this time?

_Very_ good question Mai.

It took me a minute to realise he was talking to someone on his end and with a brief frown I pressed my ear closer to the receiver.

"W_hat?" _Someone said something to him and he huffed. _"Alright, alright, I'll ask. Just shut up before my dad hears you." _He cleared his throat. _"Mai?"_

"Er, yes."

"_Rukia wants to know if there was a…" _He paused and pulled his mouth away from the phone._ "A what?"_ He queried to Rukia again and I heard a feminine whisper hiss at him.

"_A stimulus. She wants to know if there was a stimulus to your wake up call. Whatever that means…" _He muttered.

The corner of my mouth involuntary tugged upwards. "Wake up call?"

"_Had to come up with _something_ on fly." _I could almost see his brash shrug; something I had great difficulty in attempting to pull off.

I tread carefully. "There _was_ an initial stimulus." I admitted. "But there was never really a _cause_ par se in the first place. Apparently I've always been this way. The inevitable emission last night was the breakdown of a block that had existed to previously contain my energy within me."

"_Oh…Pretty severe reaction."_

"Hm."

"_Did it hurt?" _He queried hesitantly.

"Nope. Not a bit."

"Uh huh."

"Okay, how would you describe a massive, internal accumulation of energy that resulted in an outburst that rocked the surrounding atmosphere as well as your insides?" I really didn't want to go into detail about how much that had actually hurt me.

"_Right… Sorry."_

"Why? It wasn't your fault."

Even though in a way it was. I bit my lip.

His breathed slowly. _"I suppose."_

"About tonight…" I began but paused when I noticed my bedroom door slowly open out of the corner of my eye. My face crinkled in puzzlement as the moment drew out.

Then Pei's head popped out of the small opening.

I frowned, puzzled. Er…

Her head tilted sideways and her petit hands grasped the door's edge. "Who're you talking to?" She asked innocently.

Innocently… _Riiiggghhhtt_.

Seated on my bed with my phone in one hand against my ear as the other laid limp with pain on my lap there wasn't much else I could do but look at her. "Ichigo Kurosaki." I said at a snail's pace.

"_My whole name? What's with that?" _I heard him say over the line.

"One second." I muttered at him.

A large smile broke over Pei's face. "_Really_?"

I had a feeling that Pei had been holding back on the subject of my friends; but I feared all that was about to change. She stepped out joyfully from behind the door and closed it too with her butt.

"Oooh, can I say hi? Can I? _Please_?" She whined pleadingly.

I blinked at her and tried to ignore Kurosaki's questioning grunt.

"Ah…" Once again I had no idea what to do.

"Yay!" She 'squeed'. She'd officially laid claim to the creation of the word when I mentioned it the previous day.

She practically bounced over to my bed with the graceful air of a ballerina in the crux of her performance. Plopping lightly next to me she reached out with a perfectly manicured right hand and held it out palm up.

Politely bewildered and figuring that I was royally screwed either way I haltingly handed her the device and watched, wondering with a perverse sort of curiosity as to what his reaction would be.

Pei beamed and quick as a flash had the phone against her ear.

"WHY HELLO THERE!"

This she happily projected to the neighbourhood and I heard him curse. A hand shot out and wormed its way behind my back gripping onto my shoulder to pull me closer so that our arms were touching. With a chirp and a smile she tilted the phone towards me so that I may hear his replies. I raised a brow at her but she just shrugged.

"_Who the hell are you?"_

"I'm Pei!" As if that explained everything.

"_Your Pei?" _I heard him reply deadpan.

"Yep!"

"_Great. Wait, you mean Mai's cousin?"_

She looked absolutely thrilled. "That's me!" Even her eyes sparkled and she twisted so that I could clearly see her face. '_You talk about me?! REALLY?!' _Her lips mouthed at me noiselessly and I sweat dropped.

"_Ooookay… Yo."_

She pulled her ear away from the mobile for a second and flashed me an impressed grin. "This guy's choc filled with attitude. How do you resist it?"

"_Huh?" _I heard him ask dully.

"Huh?" I said at the same time.

Resist what?

Pei continued to blabber on, oblivious (or uncaring) of the consequences.

"And grouchy as hell but that only adds to the _flavour_." She tattled with a significant smile on her face and a twinkle in her eye. She waved a dismissive hand through the air and almost hit me with it as her bobbed hair flowed gently about her.

I arched a brow at her in confusion. "Flavour?" Was Pei speaking a different language tonight?

"_Flavour?"_

"Wow, you two are in sync!" Her expression lit up with anticipation and completely ignoring my own perplexed frown talked once again into the receiver. "Hey, is it true you've got orange hair?"

"_What? Why is that important?"_

She ignored him too. "And that you're the bad boy of Karakura High?" Treading into dangerous territory now…

"_Bad boy?"_

"And that, you're like, the number one hottie there?"

"_Huh?"_

"So tell me, is Orihime Inoue the one you like or Rukia Kuchiki?"

Gate to hell wide open now…

"_Excuse me?"_

"Oh, come on you can tell me. You have no Idea how extremely needy I am right now for gossip info!"

I had a funny feeling that he really wouldn't give a crap and I tried to smile convincingly as I felt her trudge headfirst into unsafe waters. "Er, Pei? _What are you doing_?"

But my self appointed sister took that last step to ensure utter chaos would strike.

"It's what _Mai_ told me."

Her voice: the epitome of demure.

But the evil grin she bestowed upon me beat all her past wickedness.

My eyes widened at her and my mouth opened wordlessly.

Private and confidential I'd told her. _Private_ and _confidential_. Not to leave the breakfast table, I'll hold it over your head until you die kind of promise.

"_Mai said that?"_

He sounded surprised and intrigued and it did nothing to help. Panicked, I nudged Pei and her eyes flickered towards me. I gestured for the phone. She shook her head.

"She sure did!" She replied. "She talks about you all the time!"

Oh God.

Thank you. Thank you very much. I closed my eyes and leaned against Pei's shoulder. Praying for patience probably wouldn't help at all but doesn't hurt to try.

"_What else did she say about me?"_

My eyes snapped open and my head shot up.

"Okay, that's quite enough of that." Moving quickly I pressed my thumb into the crevice of Pei's wrist and she yelped, dropping the phone which I managed to catch with my sore arm. Her eyes followed the movement as she rubbed her arm.

"Oooh, lightning fast reflexes!"

I sighed. "Pei, please go." I pointed at the phone securely lodged in my grasp, never ever to leave it again. "I'll be done in a minute."

She looked at me in consideration. Then, after a long moment she rolled her eyes and moved, slumped like off of my bed.

"_Fine_." She whined.

"Thank you." I smiled gratefully. "I'll be downstairs in a moment."

I watched her drag her feet towards my door but before she closed it she peeked at me through the sliver of a gap she'd made. The eye I could see shone with intent.

"Remember Mai… _details_."

And with that she left, closing the door behind her.

I let my head fall back to where it was previously positioned against the headboard behind me. Taking a deep breath I brought the phone back up to my ear.

"I'm really, truly sorry about that." I said miserably.

Pei…

She'd taken my words and twisted them to sound the complete opposite of what they originally were. I hoped he didn't take too much offence…

"_So you talk about me huh?" _

...Not quite the reaction I was expecting.

I struggled for words. "That's, erm, no."

"_You talk about me."_

"I do not."

"_Sure you don't."_

"I don't. Really." I said as resolutely as I could.

"_I think… I just received… a lot of proof there Mai."_

Was he… was he playing with me? I had to admit it wasn't something I was used to and it took me longer than I care to admit to adapt.

"The words were all wrong."

"_Wrong words huh?"_ He yawned, I could barely hear it. _"I kind of figured, I mean you don't talk that way. At all."_ I breathed a sigh of relief. _"Will I see you at school tomorrow?"_

I frowned and smiled confusedly. "Of course you will Kurosaki, why wouldn't you?"

"_Kurosaki."_ He said bluntly.

"…What?"

"_I asked you to call me Ichigo."_ His sleepy voice mixed in with his no-nonsense tone and a twinge of irritation caused me to stutter somewhat.

"W-why can't I… what's wrong with calling you Kurosaki?" I managed to ask.

"_It makes me flinch, alright."_

I bit my lip. "…I'll try."

"_You'll try?"_ I could almost see his raised eyebrows.

"I'll try."

He paused for a moment before sighing tiredly again. _"Night Mai."_

"Good Night Kurosaki."

The light on the phone died as I placed it on the cupboard next to my bed. I looked at it for a moment as if waiting for it to spring magically to life before turning my head to look down at my fingers, my mind relaxing and searching. Then my eyes closed, my forehead twitched and I sighed.

"Pei? I know you're out there; I can hear you breathing."

The door leading out into the hallway crashed against the opposing wall. My eyes flickered back open revealing a very shocked Pei.

"_How_?!" She yelled in disbelief.

Standing there with outstretched limbs; in her fluffy, pink, long armed pyjama's, I couldn't help the slight smile that broke out on my jaw. She'd probably sped at warp speed to change so that she could listen at my door. Just because I secretly enjoyed how much she behaved like her father I tapped my ear with a single finger. "Exceptional hearing."

That and I had felt her aura. An ability fast becoming favoured.

She huffed and brought her arms up to cross over her chest and I moved to stand up.

"So Mai…"

I paused and blinked at her.

Pei smirked mischievously. "_Details_. Now."

"Details?"

"Yes."

I looked around for a viable escape option and found none. "There aren't any to tell."

She looked at me for a moment before sighing, shaking her head from side to side dramatically, like I'd seen mafia bosses on TV do when disciplining one of their own. "Do I have to use my secret weapon here?"

"Secret weapon?"

Without flare she turned away from me, marched towards the opening of my door and shouted. "MMMUUUUUUMMMMMM!"

I freaked and dove off the bed, reaching her in an instant to cover her mouth with my left hand. "Alright, I'll tell you! Please stop shouting!"

Triumphant, she grinned behind my hand and I lowered it, sighing resignedly.

"What do you want to know?"

Her eyes glinted. "Everything Mai, _everything_."

Thinking of the magical circus of happenings that had occurred since day one of my arrival in Karakura I arched a brow at her. "That could take a while."

She caught on quickly. "And we have to be downstairs in a minute for dinner… with _dad_… I see your point." Thinking seriously for a moment, a pose that had her stroking her chin with a single finger like an old man she suddenly bounced. "Okay here's the plan: we eat real fast and then bomb it back up here. Agreed?"

"You _know_ I don't really have any choice in the matter." I said matter of factly.

She shrugged. "Since when has that ever bothered you?"

I blinked again. "True."

I more or less told her everything (omitting, obviously, the parts that incriminated those of us who could see into the nether) about the various scenes I'd _enjoyed_ these past two months.

Two months.

The time had both flown and crawled by.

Remembering my first day at Karakura High I could barely believe that I now had the friendship of several well adjusted, utterly opinionated, overly rambunctious and inherently weird individuals.

And yet Ichigo Kurosaki topped the chart with his ever present cynical attitude, a nature which makes him ill-disposed towards the duty bestowed upon him by Rukia, his stubbornness, his… determination. The necessitate to maintain an image of 'cool' around his peers and elders despite his claim of never caring what people thought of him… the permanent scowl on his face…

His interest in my oddness.

...The fact that in spite of his grudging agreement with Rukia to assist with the hollows he seemed to really fit the job well.

All this I explained to Pei (ignoring the above discernment).

And she listened intently as we sat crossed legged on my bed, our favourite bands playing softly in the background. I'd already previously confessed to much simpler things; I'd described him and the rest of them but I hadn't divulged to her anything more personal than what she'd already blatantly tossed out to Kurosaki over the phone.

This time I drew Pei a mental picture of… a hero. A hero and his shadow guide. A goddess with the princess namesake. The protector with her watchful eye and hopeless wishes. The class clown and his master. The quiet man with a fondness for cuteness. The glasses wearing solitary man and his mission. The observant bookworm, the man-eater nymph, the energetic lesbian, and the timid aspirer.

I'd referred to myself as the grey warden.

It felt peaceful talking to her about the usual teenage stuff, the kind of things I'd expected to talk about when I first started at Karakura High. But I could sense, with disturbing ease just how left out Pei felt. She didn't blame me and though irritated at them she also didn't blame her parents.

When she was a child Pei was approached by a stranger, a man who had watched her play in the playground at her nursery school. She had been three years old at the time.

The next day her parents had pulled her out of the centre and that had been the end of her life within the educational institution.

I had guessed when I'd been told the story that there was a lot more to it then that but I had felt that in asking for more information I was trespassing on ground where I had no right to walk.

* * *

**Shouten**

"I thought you'd come here Kuchiki, though it is kind of late." Kisuke reached a hand to the back of his hat and yawned. "Couldn't we have done this in the morning?"

The uncomplicated drawl echoed across the yard in which Rukia Kuchiki stood in. It was late, too late for her to be up and about but she wasn't as tired as Ichigo had been. She was too wired to sleep for more than a few hours so when she'd woken up just after 1am it didn't seem like too much of a stretch for her to visit the one man with all the answers.

She'd left Ichigo out in a coma, snoring his gigantic reitsu filled heart out.

Rukia rolled her shoulders and she stared, arms crossed over her chest at Kisuke. "I couldn't sleep. Now seemed as good a time as ever."

Urahara sighed. "I suppose. And I think it's obvious why you're here…" He peered at her through the shadows covering his eyes that his hat made and she tensed as always. "Though I question your need to know at all."

She frowned. "What do you mean?"

He flapped a hand up and down. "Nothing, nothing. It's been a long night, that's all."

Leaning slightly on her left leg she gave him a once over. He did look somewhat tired but not weary, more mentally exhausted. It was more like he'd spent the past several hours reading or shifting through data and the caffeine Tessai provided with prompt no longer perked him up. She felt somewhat guilty about borrowing his time like this but…

…But she'd just witnessed Mai punch through a hollow.

She needed some answers.

Rukia took a breath. "Ichigo and I were out chasing hollows tonight." She began. He didn't do or say anything, he just waited. "It didn't go as smoothly as it usually does and when we finally caught up to the hollows we found them acting very strangely. They were-"

"They were targeting Mai Li."

The man's face was a blank; there was no expression to signal an emotional response from where he stood, leaning against the sliding door into the shop.

She frowned at him. "Yes."

"It's hardly surprising." He simply uttered.

She blinked. "Huh?"

He shrugged, whirling his cane in his right hand. "I slipped something into her drink to increase the output of her energy."

_So she was coming back from Kisuke's place when we were attacked, _Rukia thought.

"Why would you do something like that?"

"It was a test."

"You mean an experiment?"

"If you'd like." He granted.

Her arms dropped out of their crossed position across her chest. "_Urahara_, that was incredibly dangerous… and stupid! She could have been killed!"

"Mah, don't be so morose. She's fine now isn't she? Besides, wasn't our orange haired shinigami there to save the day?" He queried.

"That's not the point!"

He paused in the twirling of his cane and locked eyes her in the dim light of the night.

Rukia felt herself stiffen.

Kisuke Urahara wasn't smiling or physically expressing anything his normally cheerful personality demanded of him. "It is exactly the point. And while we're on the subject of points…" He brought his cane down lightly but the tap of its tip against the ground sounded out eerily around her. "…I honestly can't believe you were naive enough to use the Kiokuchikan on Mai."

Startled Rukia could only stutter. "W-what?"

His head cocked to the side. "I told you, specifically, not to use the Chikan against her. I didn't expect you to listen to me but…" He exhaled almost lazily but the way his eyes pierced through her she could tell that the man was actually dissatisfied with her, almost disappointed.

But then Kisuke spoke the magic words.

"You don't want Mai Li as your enemy Miss Kuchiki."

_What does that mean?_

No… she knew exactly what he meant.

It didn't take her mind more than a moment to remember in explicit detail the other day when she'd used the memory suppression device on her now new friend.

When she'd approached the girl Rukia had believed that the act of wiping her memories to be only one of the many possibilities available to her at the time. Admittedly she'd made it obvious to Mai her intent by the meaning displayed her eyes for the entire world to see.

_I was such an idiot._

It wasn't until Mai had stood to stare back at her during that lunch hour did she realise that the girl she was coming to investigate was possibly much more than she had anticipated.

Rukia Kuchiki had already been made well aware of the potential power held within the eyes of but a few individuals. Her brother was one; the Thirteen Court Guard Squad's General was another… she'd glimpse something extraordinary in Ichigo's glare recently, something that could one day develop into something quite formidable…

…But then she'd happened upon the compulsively undeniable and downright unnatural weight of Mai Li's intense gaze she'd been all but stunned to admit that the eyes of a creature she couldn't hope to understand in the smallest of moments from that day had completely eclipsed the cold and all-encompassing stare of Byakuya Kuchiki.

It had rooted her to the spot and pulled at her mind like gravity; for a mere second she was forced to rethink her, as she realised after, rather brainless strategy. There had been something present in Mai's gaze that made Rukia think that she was being focused upon by a predator; that no matter how she tried to placate it, the creature that was Mai would have sooner made a show of completely devastating her flesh, to reveal all her flaws and fallacies in the light before ripping out her treacherous throat and mercilessly dragging her soul down into the deep dark of the never ending abyss to chain her to the unknown void.

She should never have approached her with such distrust.

But then the moment was over and Mai Li had shuffled on the spot like any normal teenager.

The memory however still reflected in perfect detail the way in which Rukia perceived Mai now.

She couldn't help but admit that she liked her; friendship was an amenity Rukia hadn't called upon in recent times… not since Renji. But she'd found herself rough housing in the dirt with Mai and acting, well, like she used to behave in Hounding Dog (Rukon District), her old home.

"…_But I promise that I'm no danger to you and definitely not to Kurosaki. You have nothing to fear from me…." She lifted her head up slightly so that Rukia could see her conviction. "…Ever."_

That's what she'd said and Rukia knew now, from that single glance and without any doubt that Mai was someone she could trust.

However…

There was just something so undeniably dangerous about her. Even her compassion was commanding in the sense that it was unmoveable, unshakable.

Rukia's face took on an apprehensive look and her eyes narrowed, searching Urahara's. "Is she dangerous?" She all but whispered.

Urahara raised a single brow.

"Is she _dangerous_?" He repeated.

Then he smiled his usual mysterious grin and chuckled; the sound was filled with subtext. He turned smoothly on his right foot; his cane too, a mark of overwhelming suggestion over one shoulder as he moved into the store, the echo of his humour following him. Rukia trailed immediately afterward, her lithe form hardly making a sound.

"_Is she_?" She insisted as she drew closer.

His head turned to look over his shoulder at her and she stopped.

"To you? No. In general? Extremely."

Rukia's stomach clenched.

Urahara whipped his fan out of nowhere and unclipped it. "Ah, don't be so tense Miss Kuchiki!"

_Don't be so tense? _She thought, _he just confirmed the suspicion I've entertained since I first met Mai… well… no… he didn't actually confirm it. He just admitted she was dangerous. But many individuals are dangerous._

"In what way is she dangerous?" She asked cautiously.

For a moment he deliberated. "In trying to replace her memories; and she considers _all_ her memories as vital…" He added pointedly. "You visited upon her an act of pure violence. Violence of the mind. You were very lucky she reacted as leniently as she did."

_You didn't answer my question, _she noticed but his point was one deserving of thought.

"Lucky?" Rukia asked confusedly. "I thought she was pretty explicit in how she felt about it." She finished with a grumble, remembering all too clearly the way Mai so easily brought her too her knees.

"Rukia…" She noticed the use of her first name. "You were _very_ fortunate. With the fragility of Mai's energy you were lucky that your action didn't prompt her subliminal power _or_ her abnormally developed instinctive drive to assert itself as a means of protection. And it wouldn't have been her fault… it would have been yours. It does a great deal of good to know that Mai's control is as impressive as it is."

For a moment Rukia stood there, stunned. Kisuke regarded her seriously.

"I just… I thought she might be a threat… or something… at the time." Rukia muttered and shook her head. "I had Ichigo to think about. I guess I should have heeded your advice."

Urahara sighed. "She forgave you, didn't she?"

"Readily."

"So what's the problem? You have her friendship now." Then the side of his mouth quirked upwards. "Besides she'd never hurt Ichigo."

Rukia's head tilted. "Hmm?"

"She considers his life worth more than hers. I can hear it in her voice." He elaborated.

Considering her behaviour just hours previously the statement wasn't hard to believe.

"You should get some rest Miss Kuchiki; you're going to need it." Kisuke uttered. He turned to move into the back rooms but Rukia's voice made him pause.

"Who is she Urahara? What is she?"

At first he didn't answer. She was inches away from pulling at the collar of his green kimono and demanding that he explain the strangeness of the night when he turned towards her slightly, shadowed in the crevice between the door and the wall so that she couldn't see clearly the details of his face and spoke.

"She is currently beyond your comprehension to conceive."

…_What?_

Rukia stared into his shaded face. "Explain."

He didn't move. "No."

"What? Urahara-"

"What, you think because you ask in that definitive tone that I'm going to just divulge to you information that I haven't yet presented to Mai." His fan snapped shut and Rukia blinked at the hardness of his tone, something to which she wasn't use to. "It wouldn't be fair Miss Kuchiki."

It took Rukia a moment to realise she'd stepped backwards. "Why haven't you told her then?"

"She isn't ready to hear it. Or rather circumstances being what they are, it really isn't the right time. I'll have to unveil it piece by piece."

Rukia opened her mouth again but with a wave of Urahara's hand was silenced. "I've already said enough. It will be a lot for her to process… I've had trouble processing it myself." He glanced back towards Rukia and moved into the dim light of the interior of his shop; his stormy eyes were a haze of secrets and hypothesis, of questions and answers. "There are things about this town you have yet to witness that Mai has already begun to uncover. She's the good guy Rukia Kuchiki, but she's also tied to our complex past, and as such irrevocably tied to the future of all."

Thrown completely by the statement Rukia pondered, looking down at her now clenched fingers. They were small, so much smaller than Mai's, the same hands that had protected her this very night.

But…

Tied to the past? To the future? It sounded so… foreboding. So much so that Rukia wondered now, for the first time, what kind of future Urahara could foresee.

"She's important."

It wasn't a question.

"…Yes."

Rukia glanced at the man, taken aback by the slight infliction of sentiment that was usually absent in his words. His face was as always a mask of possibilities but there was something there shining in his eyes that couldn't be hidden by his hat. A spiritual message he was sending to Rukia.

He barely knew Mai Li… was it possible that he was… fond of her?

That he cared about the girl's fate?

Or was it reverence she glimpsed?

…How strange.

* * *

**Mai**

Morning came and with it the pain in my arm.

It surprised me how much it still hurt. After the hurricane of energy I'd released and the injuries from my unhealthy spar with my first hollow: the Shrieker, I'd been able to heal the most substantial of wounds into mere contusions within the time frame of 12 hours. 8 hours after that and those bruises were mere memories.

At 8am this morning it had been almost 14 hours since I'd punched a hole through the face of the tall hollow and yet my entire arm was throbbing, aching.

Worse still was the lamer than lame excuse I contrived for Jihi; Chiyu was off attempting to accommodate some swanky new business manager or some such so Jihi was the only one to welcome me down to breakfast.

He'd heard my not so quiet clomp down the stairs so he was already looking towards to me when I turned into the living room.

"Morning sunshine!" He'd greeted.

How was I supposed to answer that? "…Hi."

Then I'd explained, without thinking, that I'd been clipped by a bike messenger. At night.

Smooth, eh.

He'd slowly raised an eyebrow and his eyes flickered briefly to my limb. I'd felt that hiding my right arm wrapped neatly in a tight bandage had only brought more attention to it.

But he just sat without bluster. "Eat your Breakfast Mai, there you go…"

His attempt at a façade of cool was promising but the stiffness in his shoulders conveyed a worry I hadn't noticed the night before.

I looked down at my plate and my stomach rumbled loudly.

On the plate sat four perfect slices of toast lathered with butter, three fat eggs and 2 mouth watering home made hash browns. I hadn't asked for double servings of everything, he'd provided the service with prompt… as if he'd intercepted my need to fulfil my new super-charged metabolism.

The fact that he'd given me a look as he'd done it, a look that informed me of knowledge held just behind the shine of his eyes made me think what I'd already been engaging. Jihi and Chiyu understood more about me than I thought I'd ever have to know about myself.

I tucked into my plate before the saliva could drip free of my mouth.

He sipped at his coffee casually; like me he was a caffeine junkie. "You were pretty quiet last night Mai. Is everything alright?"

His question caught me unawares; eggs and hash brown stuffed incredibly un-lady-like in my mouth blocked my answer. I blinked at him, lifting my head up to lock eyes with his gentle cobalt's and paused in my shovelling to nod fervently; I had no wish to provoke further feelings of concern.

His mouth quirked up. "Good week at school?"

I finally managed to swallow. "It's getting better." Remembering the staring faces of several gossiping seniors yesterday afternoon I continued. "Especially with the weekend starting tomorrow."

"Itching for a break already?" He chuckled, leaning his chin on his left hand, blond locks sliding along his cheek.

I wondered really if any kind of break would be had for me this weekend. Urahara wanted me to come to his store this weekend and I had a feeling that the visit would include an _impromptu_ lesson on yokai hunting. I could just picture him waving his fan over his face needlessly with that suspicious smile and out of place jovial laugh.

I almost face palmed.

This Jihi noticed. "Er… are you alright?"

I lifted my head up slowly and stared at him blankly. "I'll be fine."

He sweatdropped but just nodded like the smart man he was.

The real surprise however came when I opened my front door to leave just a few minutes later.

As the open door revealed to me the outside world I came face to face with Kurosaki who was standing there, poised and ready with a fist raised to knock.

Brown flickered wide in suprise in and I had to step back before my nose crashed into his jaw line.

I raised a hand against the morning light and peered up at him.

_Oh…_

The sun was definitely in favour of him today.

Of course, a full twelve hours revitalising slumber would help with that too.

But he was glowing.

As if to compliment him the giant ball of gas in the sky seemed to be making him, no, _helping_ him shine for he was always so bloody dazzling without it anyway.

It licked at his orange hair transforming it golden and I noticed immediately the flux of his aura. It was calm; a current of unyielding strength, a thundering river of verve and it stretched coolly about him.

When it brushed unknowingly over my own, tingling fingers of light yearning for contact I had to clench my fist in an effort to control the rush of energy that almost broke free of me.

The white of his eyes weren't red with exhaustion and liquid honey speckled across his irises as he blinked down at me.

I straightened as if I hadn't been staring. "Good morning."

Realising he still held his arm aloft he dropped the hand and shoved it in his pants pocket. "Hey."

Then, like a rehearsed performance, Rukia's head popped out from behind his back; a demented and somewhat off-putting Jack in the box.

"Why, good morning Mai!" She cried out cheerfully.

Eyes literally watering at the excessive twinkle in her eyes and the extremely obnoxious sparkles that seemed to cover her entire form (_how did she even do that?_) I sweatdropped. "Oh, er, hello Rukia."

Every time I closed my eyes to blink I saw glowing dots behind my eyelids. _Extremely_ over the top there Rukia.

She stepped out from behind Kurosaki, peering up and around her at the splendour of my aunt's Onsen. Her hands lifted as she twirled. "So _this_ is where you live. Impressive place!" Rukia stared with such wide eyed wonder you could almost believe this girl was 15 years old… almost.

I strode out of the door way, Kurosaki moving to the side to allow my passage and glanced briefly to each place she pointed.

But I felt the pull of Ichigo's gaze on my back and turned curiously towards him.

He'd focused on me without shame, still standing there with his hands pocketed; the epitome of cool.

After a moment he simply quirked a brow.

"So, school?" He offered.

"Sorry?"

"Can I walk you to school?"

Rukia elbowed him in the side suddenly back from her sojourn around the mansion sized home/hotel. "We! Can _we_ walk you to school?" She seemed to remind him. Apparently they'd talked this through before coming here.

His forehead twitched but otherwise his nonchalant scowl remained.

"_Sure_."

I looked form one to the other in bewilderment. "Er, I know my way to school guys."

Kurosaki nodded as if he'd expected the statement. "_Obviously_." He hitched his bag strap further up is shoulder. "Thought you might like some company."

My head tilted sideways. "Why?"

He shrugged. "Why not?"

I studied him. "I've never been asked to be walked home before so I've never… _required_ company. I'm alright." I nodded as if I were trying to affirm this.

But I realised without completely appreciating the reflection that maybe I was trying to convince _them_. Old habits dies hard I guess.

Ichigo's brow knitted together. He gave me this look and for the life of me I couldn't decrypt it. It bordered on the line of '_god, you're difficult_' but I wasn't sure. His eyes seemed to take a turn towards opaque with the intensity of his thoughts; I couldn't read them (he was probably lamenting on the meaning of his life or something).

Rukia stood poised at his elbow, openly watching us like a physics professor studying the dynamic qualities of magnetism.

Clearly we were very intriguing specimens.

Then Kurosaki sighed and looked up at the sky, exhaling in exasperation.

"Fine. You're alright and that's _swell_. _But_…" He looked back down at me. "Since you're stubborn and _I'm_ according to _you_ infuriating, I'm going to completely ignore that."

The hand in his pocket came out artfully and settled once more on my arm, this time curving around my bicep, pulling me forwards… _again_.

"Let's go!" Rukia pumped her fist as she led the way.

Buh… uh?

I scratched my metaphorical head.

How did it come to this once more? When we reached the corner his hand slipped away but he continued to stroll with Rukia fluttering in front; eyes down as she played with her mobile.

The morning air was filled with the resonance of far off traffic. It wasn't until we reached an interchange that the hum became a shout of bleating cars and horns. In this clamour Ichigo's masculine voice carried indubitably from my right.

"You don't have to _need_ anyone to walk you home to have a friend walk you home."

His easy strides were easy to keep up with. "I know that. It's just… you really didn't have to."

His eyes flickered to my face. "So what, do you want us to go ahead of you? Pretend like we don't know you?"

The wind blew softly as we arrived at a crossing. "No it's just…" I shook my head as if trying to clear the cobwebs. "It isn't-"

"Necessary?" He finished, arching a brow. "You say that a lot."

"Pity you don't listen to me." I muttered, surprising myself.

He looked at me askance with a feral kind of smirk that stunned me. "I'll _never_ listen to that."

He crossed the road.

My eyebrows shot upwards.

He'd completely flummoxed me but I couldn't say anything. _Why_? Why did he have to be so… so… ugh! My chest tightened and for the moment there I'd actually felt irritated with his insistency. And I had a feeling I'd just been issued a challenge.

Unsettled I glanced towards Rukia. She kept stabbing at the buttons on her phone; with each stab a grunt littered the air as if the device had done her a disservice. I gave Ichigo a quick look and his replying grimace said '_this one defies the laws of man; I have no answer for you_'.

As we moved into Tsubakidai we started talking about, erm, well… stuff. E.g. do you think you could out run a car in shinigami form? Do you glow all the time or is it just a 'when you're attacked by hollows' thing… because it would be totally awkward if it happened during class? …Stuff like that. It was actually pretty fun.

But then Kurosaki brought up the previous night.

He was staring straight ahead, his eyes a myriad of hidden thoughts. I hadn't expected him to talk again for a while; he seemed the type to really internalise the answers he received.

"So I take it that was your first time?"

I looked at him side on. "First time?"

His eyes flashed to mine briefly. "The first time you killed a hollow."

"Oh." Why? "Yes it was."

More walking.

"You doing all right?"

I glanced back up at him with creased brows. "Of course."

He let out a long breath. "The first time I took out a hollow I lost consciousness; I didn't have time to work it through my head that I'd just severed a creature that no one else could see with this huge ass sword that just appeared in my hands from out of nowhere. The second time I killed a hollow I was saving a kid. I felt vindicated. Every time I slay a hollow there has always been a justifiable reason behind it."

Oh, that's what it is… "You're worried about how I'll take it."

"Should I be?" He looked at me fully this time.

I could see that underneath the steadiness of his expression lay a sea of misgivings and worries, not all of which lay at my doorstep. "No. No it felt necessary."

He nodded in deliberation. "It kind of does, doesn't it?"

"Yeah…"

I kind of understood his point: slaying hollows wasn't for the faint of heart and it didn't exactly show up in any of the history books. It wasn't a subject studied anywhere. Theory meant nothing once you came face to face with the emptiness of the unfilled. You had to learn through the body, through your instincts. It was a 'jump in the deep end and hope you don't drown' kind of thing.

I smiled a little.

"I freed the spirit. He said thank you."

Ichigo blinked. "The hollow spirit said thank you?"

I brushed a strand of hair behind my ear. "Well, not with words but aren't they supposed to do that?"

He cocked a brow. "Er, no."

"Oh." Pretty lame answer, I know. But, come on, I'm a weirdo.

But then Rukia, who had been listening in on the conversation turned to face us, walking backwards. She was pretty good at it too; she side stepped a pedestrian without turning to look. "You can speak to the soul that resides within a hollow?"

I mulled it over. "Maybe. It was more like a connection of energies. And it was only for a moment. It could have been a fluke."

"Maybe. Sometimes when Ichigo has slain a hollow we catch a glimpse of the spirit within but never once have we been able to confer with it, nor sense its energy. The overwhelming hollow instinct is so extreme it snubs out any reason within its soul."

…The way her eyes tightened shrewdly and how her lips pressed shut after she spoke made me think that she was holding back on something. As if she was stopping herself from saying something.

I felt Ichigo shift beside me. "What about the soul reapers from your home? Can they speak to the spirit within a hollow?"

Rukia tore her eyes away from me. "No. Or at least I've never heard of a soul reaper who can." Then she twirled to face forwards, calling back to us. "Hurry up or we'll be late!"

I shared a look of puzzlement with Kurosaki.

What she'd said made sense; I wasn't a soul reaper, but I knew even then that her perturbed thoughts would have relevance in the future.

Then, unexpectedly, the air about me changed.

The smallest hairs on the back of my neck stood on end as the haunting ambience, that sorrowful echo of damned reitsu slowly rippled through the atmosphere.

My hand reached out of its own accord and it gripped the fabric of the back of Ichigo's shirt.

He stopped walking and looked back over his shoulder enquiringly. "What's wrong?"

South of us… "A hollow." I muttered.

He frowned as always, staring at me silently, eyes drifting from my face to the hand that relinquished his school blazer.

"What's going on?" I heard Rukia; my eyes went to her as she came to a full stop when she found both of us were no longer following her.

I indicated my head directly towards the source of my distress. "A few minutes in that direction… I think." I saw Rukia swiftly pull out her mobile.

Kurosaki sweatdropped and fully turned, leaning on his right leg. "You _think_?"

I bit my lip. "No, I know it's there, I'm just not sure exactly _where_ it is. Kurosaki do you sense anything?"

His brow twitched at my use of his last name. "No." He glanced at Rukia. "We don't exactly do it like you do."

My head tilted sideways. "What do you mean?"

Ichigo gestured at Rukia's mobile. "That cell is like some sort of hollow tracking device that only soul reapers can use."

Rukia nodded and stepped forward presenting it to me: it looked like any ordinary mobile.

"It's called a soul pager; it transmits orders from the soul society. It provides the time frame within 20 minutes of arrival and the perimeter within half a mile." She pulled the device away. "What do _you_ do?"

I looked from her curious gaze to Ichigo's knowing one. "I close my eyes and count backwards from ten."

Rukia's mouth popped open. "Excuse me?"

"It doesn't matter." Kurosaki said with a half formed smirk, letting his school bag drop down his arm and catching the strap to allow it to rest at my feet.

I pointed down at it and raised a brow in query.

"Look after it for me."

Rukia shook her head as she glanced up from her phone. "I'm not getting anything." She shrugged and waited, leaving the decision up to Ichigo.

"We should probably check it out."

_Then_ Rukia's phone beeped.

As one we all blinked and leaned over to peer at it, bewildered at the timing. Rukia brought it close up to her face, gaping at it stupidly.

"Huh."

Ichigo scowled at her. "What?"

"There _is_ a hollow." She pointed dumbly towards the markets. "That way. Four minutes."

Both their heads turned simultaneously to stare at me.

I looked nervously at them and tried to smile; I even threw in an insecure little hand wave.

They both glanced back at the other and sweatdropped.

Then Ichigo sighed. "Let's get this over with."

Regarding them with intrigue I opened my mouth to ask what they were up to when Rukia popped a red glove from out of her back pocket, slipped it on and, without preamble, shoved it against Ichigo's chest.

My eyes widened when the glove glowed statically with reitsu and his soul staggered unflatteringly out from his now inexpressive shell. The eyes of his body fluttered closed and his form swayed until it keeled over backwards onto the grassy pavement.

Rukia eyed it with distaste. "You look like a dead pig."

Ichigo glowered at her. "And whose fault is that?"

Her hand placed itself on one hip and its twin followed in example on the other. "Yours; you never catch yourself."

"Right, because you give me a chance. You always drag me off… freaking strong for an imp." He muttered.

Rukia's forehead twitched. "What did you say?"

"You heard."

…Ichigo.

My eyes started at his face, drifting down to his toes.

From this close and without the added layer of my own energy throbbing its way into the atmosphere it was impossible to ignore the pulse of reitsu already thickening the air. There would never be a faucet capable of stemming this tidal wave. His aura glowed colourless about him and for a moment I understood that the lack of control at the centre of his being lay within his ignorance. It was simply without shape…

…Like his sword. My eyes drifted over it; it was like his energy didn't understand the structure its own defence mechanism should take. Lack of awareness equals shoddy defence.

I watched, entranced as the reitsu poured out through his skin.

An uncontrolled mess.

It wasn't a heated source of power. It wasn't cold. Rather it seemed to echo the internal magnificence of his soul's potential.

There was just so much of it. How could such tremendous latency exist within the soul of a teenager?

Maybe I was being hypocritical but… why did I feel as if I understood the capacity of _his_ energy far more than my own?

…It called to me.

A whirring roar almost at peace with itself; like the eye of a storm. Confused but defiant.

When my eyes reached his again I found that my exploration hadn't gone unnoticed. He scowled at me; a queston mark littering his brow.

...Shit!

Feeling utterly mortified my mouth opened to apologise to him but the words refused to come out. It hit me in a part of my mind that the scene echoed the memory of how I first met him; staring at his hair like an idiot because I'd never witnessed a more daring shade of orange before. Only this time I was bewildered by his aura.

Well done Sergeant Apparent.

But he simply looked at me. Those brown orbs searching, revealing something I couldn't read but informed me anyway that there was nothing to be sorry for.

…Because he'd been trying to read me too.

A few times since I first revealed to him our similar gifts in the supernatural Kurosaki had attempted to try as I did, to search with his energy. When he'd asked for advice I'd hinted that my own emotions often generated a far stronger sagacity in my verve and that the same could be applied to his reitsu.

His soul being separated from his body probably made him more sensitive to the forces that surrounded him. But the fact that his reitsu was so palpable would undoubtedly make the effort a tricky one.

I hadn't inquired about his success with it yet.

Then he moved swiftly bringing me out of my thoughts. He flew by me in a blur of black without stirring the smallest current of air through my clothes, Rukia on his tail.

"LOOK AFTER MY BODY FOR ME!"

An epic trail of dust followed them in their wake.

I blinked at the decreasing size of his soul reaper form. Then I turned to look at his body lying vertically on the pathway next to me.

On hearing footsteps my head shot up and I saw a young couple walked by, hand in hand and both wearing suits.

Their eyes went immediately to the body then up at me.

I stared at them.

They stared back.

A nervous tick endangered my scrupulous expression.

...What the heck was I supposed to do now!

I cleared my throat, eyes flickering from the body to the two strangers.

"Narcolepsy!" It was the first thing that came into my head.

The couple glanced back at the body, at each other and shrugged. They sauntered off immediately forgetting about the scene and I sweatdropped. Okay... Maybe they couldn't be bothered with the trouble.

Or maybe, as I'd already witnessed for myself, the citizens of Karakura were used to the strange things that tended to occur in their town.

When they were out of sight I turned back towards Ichigo. Er, I mean is body, but not his corpse, he wasn't _dead_, his soul was simply kicking hollow ass… wait do hollows even _have_ asses? My brow pulled together tightly as I thought hard about such intellectual concerns…

_Right_, way to think about what's important there Mai.

Rolling my eyes internally at the stupidity of my actions I slumped and scratched the back of my head. Regarding his form where it lay prone and face up in front of my feet for anyone to see I noticed that the angle at which he'd fallen had looked quite painful.

I should probably move him.

My legs bent, crouching down and I reached out with my hands.

Sliding one under his neck I lifted his head off the pavement, orange locks no longer lying in the dirt and moved my other over his body to weave underneath his right. Since the weight of another human didn't exactly exert me as it once did I pulled his body up into a sitting position and then brought him up with me as I stood in a kind of stoop.

Only then did I realise how absolutely _wrong_ our positions appeared.

I blinked, peered down at the orange mane that blocked my view of the rest of the body in my grasp and my eyes widened.

His face was practically buried in my chest, just above the cleavage line.

It took me a second…

Then I almost dropped him in surprise at the huge onslaught of warmth that flashed through me.

Oh _Jesus. Just perfect._

I was screwed. His face was in my chest and I was screwed.

All I'd need now was for someone to come around, gasp horrifically or, depending on their personality gleefully, and take a picture, maybe sell it on Youtube.

When it came to my uniform I wasn't the most diligent. I wasn't like Pei: I didn't go around deliberately wearing the shortest skirts I could find to show off legs that a super model would show pride in. Instead I chose a look that didn't inhibit my movements. So naturally I had a general dislike for suffocating collars. This was why I always wear my school shirt with the first three buttons open; I'd close one when I'd arrive at school.

Due to this it took barely a moment after the shock wore off for me to notice the brand new sensation of having the surprisingly soft skin of Ichigo Kurosaki's forehead shift tantalising across my collarbone with every inch of movement my breathing produced.

It was unusually… distracting.

But as atrocious as my timing had become, placing Ichigo's body away from the side of the road was the top priority now.

My head turned this way and that way as I searched the area with anxious eyes and chewed on my lower lip.

I hefted his body over one shoulder and carried him casually over to a low wall next to the neighbouring residential area. I ignored completely how odd it might look for a teenage girl to be carrying a teenage boy in a fireman's grasp. Securing an arm around his waste I crouched, my other hand splayed across his back to steady him. Settling the body down I made sure to not bang his head against the brick. Then I retracted my arm and leaned back pushing the loose fringe I had out of my vision.

My eyes settled on his face and I paused in my stir to stand.

Huh.

…I'd never before seen a face that looked like his… and I've never actually thought about something like that before.

Looking back on the faces of every single acquaintance I'd ever made I'd notice that there were similarities between each of them. The same dark eyes, or the same colour hair, a similar shaped nose or jaw line, and even an analogous kind of stature there was always something to connect them. It spoke of the human race as a whole that deep down underneath all our physical flaws or perfections we really were united by biology.

Ichigo's face didn't fit any physical schematic I'd stamped to memory.

Everything about him was something I'd never glimpsed before, from his scowling expression to the colour of his hair and peach skin. His strong willed personality and his cool venire of detachment; his physical presence and his ability to see ghosts.

A singularity.

Precious…

What does his fate have in my store for him I wonder? Does his destiny speak to him in dreams?

Five minutes later the duo returned, fresh faced and out of breath to find me seated serenely next to Ichigo's body.

My head tilted up at the proxy. "I had to tell people that you suffer from narcolepsy."

Ichigo quirked a brow at me; standing there is his shinigami robe with a hand on his hip while the other settled ungraciously in his hair.

"Why?"

"…I think I might have appeared somewhat suspicious in character."

"Hmm."

Wait, was he considering the idea? And was that amusement I saw in his eye?

Before I could ask he stepped forward, approaching his body. My jaw decided to drop open when I saw for the first time how Ichigo managed re-entry into his soul's shield.

As if his shinigami form wasn't corporeal he merely pushed his fingertips into the very solid surface of the chest of his lifeless shell, his hands disappearing into the body and then his arms…

…Sheathing himself like one would a sword.

When fully submerged his body shuddered; concentrated reitsu flared for a moment.

Then his eyes jerked open and he turned his head slightly against the brick behind him; scowling askance at my wide eyed self.

"Freaking weird, right?"

I snapped my mouth closed. "Scary actually."

Silently appraising him I wondered at the idea of your soul leaving your body… Did he ever worry about not being able to re-enter it?

"You're very brave."

He looked stumped as if he didn't understand the semantics of the allegation.

"Brave?"

I nodded. "Yes."

Kurosaki looked away from me; confusion evident in his features.

…Didn't he see himself clearly?

Rukia stood near to us, already finished with her panting and waiting for us to stand.

I complied, passing to Ichigo his school bag in the process; when his brain scattered self didn't immediately catch it, the bag dropped with a flump in his lap and he grunted.

I winced. "Sorry."

He half shrugged.

My eyes held Rukia's in a pensive grip. "Aren't Soul Reapers supposed to be stealthy?"

With no bag to grasp onto the ex-soul reaper simply cocked her head to the side. "Sorry?"

"Isn't it kind of… _not_ stealthy, to leave his body lying around?"

Rukia sighed, her naturally crossed arms tightening just a smidge. "We don't really have much of a choice I'm afraid. But…" She gave me a wry glance. "…I'm working on a solution."

Ah, of course… Kisuke Urahara.

I nodded, my feet shifting awkwardly on the pavement.

Noticing Ichigo watching us in interest Rukia glanced at me and I at her; a moment of silent communication passed between us (something I'd only ever managed to do with Pei).

"What is it?" He asked, a scowling brow arched.

"Nothing!" We both chimed in eerie sync with one another.

He looked from Rukia's overly cheerful, closed eyed, beaming smile to my steady gaze and open expression.

"_Right_." Once again he hitched his bag onto his right shoulder. "Are we going to school or what?"

As he turned towards our destination I nudged Rukia with my left hand and pointed with my right at Ichigo's back.

_He doesn't know about Urahara yet?"_

She waved a hand about her face.

_He doesn't need to… yet._

…If you say so.

* * *

Unfortunately that wasn't the last of the morning's hollow run.

We were forced to stop again just a few minutes outside of the school gates.

As before I was left to stand watch over Ichigo's body.

Why didn't I go with them you ask?

The answer was a simple one: I didn't want to ruin Ichigo's show. He had his own pace and I was worried that I'd destroy the routine with my outlandish style. Plus with my hand the way it is I'd probably just be setting myself up for a fall.

And he hadn't asked me to join him anyway.

I defiantly commanded myself to disregard the small, deeply senseless but nontheless unsettling knot of _hurt_ that realty produced.

Anyway… back to Ichigo's body.

A doddery old female teacher I'd seen teaching the seniors hurried over to his body at one point when I'd moved away in my regular pace up and down the pathway.

Her fingers had been poised to check for vital signs when I'd had to shout out scaring her to bits. Whilst I tried to explain to her that my friend simply suffered from the sleeping disorder: Narcolepsy, she'd had none of it, worrying her poor little heart out and making me feel like a soulless louse.

She's stared at me, terribly anxious, eyes popping. "But he's passed out on the street! We should bring him inside, _phone an ambulance_, RING HIS PARENTS!"

Yeah, she'd become a little hysterical. I'd stepped back, wide eyed as I tried to conciliate her.

Convincing her how _absolutely_ sure I was of his being _fine_ the woman had toddled off, looking behind her every now and then with surprising suspiciousness. So I'd expected it when her head appeared around the corner about ten minutes later once Ichigo was finished to check that I hadn't left him.

Yes… incredibly smart and stealthy you are, you soul reapers you.

But I had to speculate, without really wanting to know the answer, what typically happened to Ichigo's body when nobody was there to supervise it.

Ugh… My mind just went somewhere dark indeed.

The rest of day passed me by in a blur of relative normalcy.

It happened in slots.

Arriving in class a little later than expected Orihime welcomed us in, jumping out of her seat and knocking her desk into Chizuru's backside. The nymphomaniac went flying, sliding across the class room floor to come to a halt at the feet of an incredibly amused Tatsuki. The red head glanced up, glasses askew and blinked.

"Wow Chizuru, you're in your rightful place for once." Tatsuki stated, nodding to herself at something that only made any sense to her.

Chizuru rearranged her spectacles. "Rightful place?"

"On your back on the floor, though the gutter would have been more appropriate." She sniffed and stepped over her friend.

"HEY!"

Orihime seemingly oblivious to the scene and her clumsiness waved at the three of us.

"Good morning Kurosaki! Morning Mai, Rukia!"

Her smile outshone the glaring light of the sun this fine day. And though I noticed her obvious acknowledgment of Ichigo's entry first, she also offered me a warm hello with her eyes and a friendly little bow towards Rukia who reciprocated theatrically.

The Princess really was incredibly kind hearted.

At lunch Tatsuki had wanted to abandon me to the crazed enthusiasts of her martial arts club. When I'd presented to her my thankfully bandaged arm she gave me this look that said 'I know full well that you could take down the majority of the members with an arm tied behind your back'.

She let it go though.

Following that I ate with Michiru, Mahana and Ryo who were their usual out-of-place selves. We watched, entertained as Tatsuki sumo wrestled an amorous Chizuru to the floor when the girl had tried to force feed her lunch to Orihime using only the fingers of her right hand.

Don't ask what she wanted to do with the other hand; I'd almost coughed up the whole of my lunch with that one. Where all lesbians in the same league as her or did Chizuru come with a warning tag?

And still the red head questioned afterwards about why we were all inching away from her in art class…

When the bell rang to signal fifth period however, my right hand was visibly shaking.

Switching between writing hands all day had proved exhausting.

It hadn't helped that Kurosaki had noticed either.

The lesson before lunch he'd sat directly behind me to my left so every single painful twitch of my hand, every self derogating whisper after each blunder and the occasional rubber scuffle over paper didn't go unseen.

For some unfathomable reason he glared at me over it.

It was possible that I was annoying him or something but that didn't seem like the kind of shallow thing he'd be preoccupied to dwell upon. But obviously it was clearly upsetting him.

Concerned, I'd turned to face him and asked if he was alright.

His cheek had twitched and he'd stared at me in disbelief.

Then he'd slammed his face heavily into his desk, an almost inaudible suffering groan sounding out against the wood.

Startled, I'd searched the class for someone to explain his behaviour.

…And sweatdropped at the Mexican wave of extremely bored shrugs I received in return, it was maths class after all. Rukia simply raised her eyebrows and I endeavoured to ignore the sight of Keigo in the back row, craning his head above everyone to investigate (nosy) about the meat crashing on wood sound. He was pretty verbal too.

"What was that sound… why's Ichigo's face kissing his desk… doesn't he know he won't look any prettier that way? From over here the back of his head looks like a hedgehog…"

Many head throbs later Ichigo raised his now tender head and glared around at Keigo who withered at the sight of the infamous scowl being forced on him in all its glory.

"Keigo?" Ichigo grunted.

"Yes sir, boss?" Keigo whimpered from under his desk in the back row.

Sniggers erupted around the class room.

"Shut the hell up."

"Okay boss."

Afterwards, while I'd moved through the hallway towards my next lesson Ichigo had stood in my way. Using the sleeve of my shirt he'd towed me towards a side wall, out of the way of ambling students.

A small sigh escaped me. "This is starting to become a bit of a pattern."

His insolent frown was enough of an answer.

He leaned against the wall in front of me, releasing the tight grasp his hand held on my blouse. That same appendage reached down to circle fingers around my wrist and lift the limb, presenting it to me.

"When did this happen?"

"Last night." I answered quietly.

He connected the dots. "That hollow you punched?"

I nodded and he eyed the bandage wrap. "Is this even helping?"

"No, not a bit." I laughed slightly.

Watching me he sighed and released my wrist, placing it lightly by my side. Then after a moment of deliberation he shook his head, eyes gazing down the corridor without seeing much of anything at all. A lopsided smile appeared fleetingly on his face like a ripple in water.

"What am I going to do with you?" He seemed to mutter to himself.

My smile was tentative. "Nobody's ever known what to do with me."

He nodded, still looking down the hall towards the gathering throng of students. "That I believe."

As outlandish as that had been it wasn't the part of the day that ran semi-circles of dread inside of me.

The last lesson of the day was when everything crash banged.

The fateful time of when Ichigo first met Uryu.

* * *

I should have seen it coming but I hadn't.

And it was such a diminutive moment in time you would think I wouldn't be so anxious over its outcome.

But the incident would have the nature of a domino effect.

It all started with Keigo's belly aching, which let's face it, isn't much of a shocker.

The last lesson on Friday was always the most painful to live through, melodramatic lunatic classmates not included. With the weekend being just around the corner to the monotonous class, students were always waiting on tenterhooks for that final bell to ring shrilly out over the school grounds.

In these classes Keigo had the tendency to always moan and never cease moaning longingly about the lack of feminine quality these times possessed.

Regrettably for him justifying circumstances presented this lesson as one of only two compulsory items.

The student roster being the labelling scheme it always has been deferred to a system of cultural values. The majority of the girls in first year chose to take up Home Tech: cooking and sewing.

The very notion of learning how to master the art of embroidery, to erudite the most efficient methods of kimono decorate with useless profligates and cook seamlessly like _proper_ Japanese housewives are supposed to wasn't something I could claim to crave experience for.

I had enough experience about those subjects; my time at the Onsen continues to serve me well.

So feeling rather righteous about it I'd gone with the male majority: lessons in work psychology.

And was the only female present out of my friendship circle in attendance.

Situated midway through the classroom one lascivious, brown headed, perverted idealist held his head on his arms that were braced across his desk. He'd stared despairingly about the room noticing for possibly the 100th time the lack of womanly product.

Mizuiro didn't even look up from his phone. "It's only an hour until school ends and the teacher's going to be late today. I'm sure you can withstand the pain of the last lesson of the day."

Keigo mumbled inaudibly into his arms, casting furtive glances around the room. His face fell into a state of abject misery and he slumped forward once more.

"Why do we have to sit here anyway? This is the most boring class ever!"

Which meant we'd all have to suffer in silence with him.

From my seat I had a perfect view of the back of Keigo's and Mizuiro's heads.

Amazingly Keigo never noticed my presence in the room.

Maybe it was the pervasive aura of one Ichigo Kurosaki and his back up man Yasutora Sado whose unapproachable forms seemed to encompass the whole of the back row.

Uryu Ishida was the only male not to attend; being a member of the home handy craft club meant that he was already a known commodity in the home tech quarters.

Approximately three minutes into the usual Keigo rant I'd caught the ever growing eyebrow twitch on Kurosaki's forehead throb ever brightly.

He wasn't in the mood.

Chad too I noticed hadn't paused form his day dream out of the window. Now normally Orihime was the usual suspect to travel to reverie land, so this could only signify just how truly uninterested the kind giant was.

With my chin seated comfortably on my left hand, the elbow of which was braced on the desk I sat behind, I glanced left to right at my sullen companions.

Looking up at the clock hanging from the wall besides the blackboard I raised a brow. The teacher was more than twenty minutes late; he probably wouldn't be turning up.

Shifting the arm I was leaning on down from under my jaw I laced the fingers of my hands together bringing them to my lips, pressing against the softness there and debating on what to say…

"H-how long have you known each other?"

The ambience around me caused the words on my tongue to come out a little unsure and I swallowed when their gazes immediately latched onto mine: two differing shades of brown glassy with sheer tediousness.

Their hope for a reprieve stemming the tides of boredom there made me almost wish I hadn't opened my mouth.

"How long have we known each other?" Ichigo repeated. "Me and Chad?"

"Yes." I nodded, genuinely interested despite the awkwardness.

Both blinked, glancing at each other in surprise.

Then, without further comment, Ichigo twisted out of his seat, dragging his chair around to straddle it. His arms crossed casually over the back of the chair crown and he leaned his chin on them.

Chad didn't leap out of his chair but he did lean in to form a close semi-circle. Despite being only two inches smaller in height than Ichigo I felt undeniably tiny in between the two of them.

As Kurosaki pushed on the toes of his feet to pull his seat closer he started to talk.

"We were juniors. There was this local gang drafting right out of our middle school. I caught their attention straight off the mark." He paused to point briefly at the Mexican. "Chad took a beating for me."

My brows shot up to my forehead and I looked at Sado. "Really?" He hummed a yes. "Why, what happened?"

"…They threatened him with concrete blocks."

Ichigo snorted. "_Threatened_? I was two shades from having my head creamed into the pavement."

I whipped back towards him. "Creamed?

A nod. "With concrete."

"Like mashed potato?"

Where did _that_ come from?

He threw me an '_okaaay'_ kind of look. "Not the term _I'd_ use but… sure."

The notion of him being beaten by anyone was a concept difficult for me to grasp, especially with all the scenes since I'd first met him depicting perfectly a guy born to not just to 'take punishment' but to also 'dish out' in excess.

My expression must have told this tale because he smirked bitterly. "They carried baseball bats. If they hadn't I would have kicked their asses." He said this with such certainty it had to be truth.

The drama of it all was stunning.

"They were such a pain in the ass. Their leader had this beyond stupid name. It was…" He scratched at the side of his face with a deep frown of concentration. "Er… What was it Chad?" He looked towards his friend enquiringly.

"…Weasel."

I looked at the two of them in disbelief. "_Weasel_?"

They both nodded and even though their expressions were passive I could tell they were enjoying my reactions.

"What happened to him?"

"I beat the shit out of him." Ichigo said in an indifferent drawl.

My eyebrows rose. "Oh." Good for him.

He shrugged. "It was only fair."

"Ichigo saved my life." Chad's deep voice sounded from my left.

I looked at him in surprise. "Really?" He nodded and my head turned back to a now uncomfortable Ichigo. "You did?"

"I just happened to be there."

"By the east river side, just under the mid-way bridge at sunset." Chad chimed in.

His small smile was endearing. Ichigo shrugged unconcernedly.

But something ate at my soul.

Their admissions… they'd been surprisingly charming; Chad had taken a beating for a complete stranger and Ichigo had returned the act of valour by saving his life.

In the past… when I'd been faced with that kind of crisis… who had I befriended?

I hadn't helped anyone, I hadn't even tried to.

All my thoughts had been focused entirely on my desire to die.

To cease all thought and all feeling and to just… stop.

I remember…

Piercing through my mind like bullet fire in a storm… boy could I remember.

A passage of time I could only depict as wretchedly dim.

Colourless streams that made little sense detailed to me a time of my life where I'd been so emotionally paralysed, physical pain felt more like a relief.

The worst of it? I had chosen to drown in the sensation, one that spread like a poison.

Madness.

Feeding within me a darkness I'd never before encountered. One that, sometimes, is still quite difficult to keep at bay.

People thought _I_ was strong?

Weakness was a forte I was well acquainted with. And managing to keep it hidden was a gift in and of itself.

Why the hell was someone as good and untainted as Ichigo Kurosaki, a guy who fought only to protect, even remotely concerned with my well being?

Someone who once used her strength to provoke pain.

God… If he ever found out about… about _any_ of that… he'd be appalled with the very idea of befriending me.

And that thought terrified me. Now, that I'd received genuine compassion and consideration, that he'd willingly shown me trust and displayed a keen curiosity in what made me… me, something I didn't think was possible for anyone…

…_Now_ that thought scared me to death.

He considered me worth knowing, interesting even or he wouldn't try to get to know me the way he does.

Weeks ago I'd troubled my socially deficit self at the very idea of becoming the friend of such a brilliant light. Now I despaired at the awful thought of losing the connection to a person I felt was destined to be a part of my life.

Even if we were opposites.

"Mai? You alright?"

His voice penetrating my emotional flow had me turning, slightly dazed towards Ichigo; his near relaxed face challenging the inquisitive scope of his eyes.

"S-sorry?"

The scowling brow puckered further. "You look pale."

Yes, I suppose I would. I shook my head and tried to smile. "I'm fine, really."

Sat astride his chair he leaned his weight on it completely. By the way he stared… and stared, eyes questing to route out the cause of my behaviour I could see he didn't believe me.

Escaping the unavoidable gaze of the substitute death god I pressed my lips together and cast my eyes about the room. My eyes latched onto something.

"Can you tell me about that?"

I pointed towards the tattoo on Chad's arm.

Amore e Morte: love and death depicted with a snake, a heart and a pair of wings. He'd had it done a year ago. Though he didn't tell me his full reason for receiving the tat he did imply that it was impart to his grandpa; his 'Abuelo'.

"It's beautiful." I said softly, fingers tracing the design when he offered up his bulging bicep.

"Thanks."

"You say that word a lot around us." Ichigo commented ambiguously.

My eyes looked to him. "What word?"

"Beautiful."

He murmured the adjective into his arms, his chin leaning on them lazily.

"Does it bother you…?" I asked slowly.

"…No."

That expression he pulled; the bridge of his semi-scowling stare, the infiltrating, introspective scope of his eyes made me feel once again as if I where stuck under a microscope. All he needed now was another pencil to suck on.

But he still didn't understand, I could see that and I understood. Most people didn't go around casually commenting on the beauty of their friends. So why did I? And why did he always have to focus on it?

My eyes flickered from one beautiful boy to the next, remembering clearly their reactions the last time I'd mentioned certain striking aspects of their physiology.

After a moment I spoke, my hands fiddling with the edge of my seat.

"Maybe I just… perceive you to be as such."

I was multiple shades of grey standing in a sea of blooming, golden colour.

Ichigo, sharing a look with his mixed heritage friend, cleared his throat. A faint red hue slowly worked its way over his cheeks. He raised an arm to scratch at his head and then hid his face behind it

I tilted my head.

"Did I embarrass you again?"

"Shut up." He muttered from under his limb.

No more was said on the subject; instead Chad continued his narrative of their middle school lives.

Just as Kurosaki began explaining their resolute maxim; to raise their fists in the defence of the other, Keigo's clear whine sounded out from his seat in the row ahead of us.

The tick on Ichigo's forehead had developed in size; so big that its circumference covered half his skull. His blush now gone, he shoved a hand into his hair and leaned against it to look balefully at the brown haired weirdo. I tap danced my fingers rhythmically across the surface of my desk.

"We're a class full of dudes! Sausages in excess! _Boyfriends_ who like to study! NERDS!"

From behind we could still see clearly the streams of tears lamenting down his face, arching out in the air and onto Mizuiro's desk who, finally, glanced up at his phone to look passively at his friend. Keigo truly was the antithesis to Mizuiro's calm.

"There _are_ a couple of girls here in-"

"SAUSAGE FEST! WE'RE A SAUSAGE FEST OF SUPREME GAYNESS!"

"…Man you really are bored aren't you?"

My brow creased in speculation. I side glanced Chad who was sending looks of sympathy through his dark locks towards Mizuiro. Ichigo, by comparison just scowled half heartedly at the whiner; this kind of thing happened every other day after all.

"WHY IS ICHIGO ALWAYS THE LUCKY ONE?!"

The guy in question blinked and lifted his head up at Keigo in confusion. "Dude, I'm right here." He muttered.

But his voice was taken over by the cries of the lunatic in front of us.

Keigo's bright eyes stared deep into the distance (at candy-land/playboy mansion), his fist raised and clenched in his passionate diatribe.

"He's probably hanging out with Rukia right now!"

Mizuiro shot a look at us over his shoulder, suppressing a giggle at the frown slowly darkening on Kurosaki's face. "Er, Keigo he's… wait." Mizuiro blinked back to the class idiot and tilted his head.

"I thought you liked Orihime?"

The tears running down his face paused and Keigo turned casually towards his dark haired friend. "Oh I do, she's a goddess."

I choked on an inhale and pressed my lips together, concentrating solely on the surface of my desk.

He'd uttered this as if it were a recognized law of the universe in which he lived… or rather the place in which his mental world resided in.

Mizuiro nodded. "So… your heart belongs to anyone around… if she's cute?"

Silence.

Keigo jerked up in his seat. "THAT'S SLANDER! I'M A RESPECTABLE YOUNG MAN! AND YOU SURE SEEM TO LIKE THE HOTTIES YOURSELF!" He pointed hysterically at Mizuiro, crying once again. "YOU'RE ALWAYS WITH A GIRL, YOU SHOULD KNOW! IT'S NATURAL!"

Mizuiro whipped his hands up to placate his louder than LOUD friend. "Okay, okay! It's perfectly natural, I get it!"

Grateful for a chance to witness something more interesting than watching paint dry the majority of the class decided this was the time pay close attention to the machinations of the court Jester and his King.

Keigo hadn't finished his rant and he leaned vexed over his _buddy_ who began to blubber. "The way you always pick the cream of the crop is the _real_ scandal! It's greedy, I say, greedy!"

"I'm sorry!" Mizuiro shouted.

And lo, we had two criers on our hands.

"It's just because you're rich and popular! _Elitist_!"

By this time Mizuiro had his arms raised over his head in a pleading kind of defensive position. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry I'm so popular!"

Then he fled dramatically out of his seat, tears trailing in the (nonexistent) wind behind him. Skirting past my desk he skidded towards Chad, who just so happened to be the biggest shield of us all and pressed his face into the side of his shirt.

"Chad, he's picking on me because I'm so popular!" He snivelled.

Sado's face was priceless: an 'out of his depth' blank. I could almost see the dots aligned above his head ending subtly in a question mark.

Keigo snorted, his voice marred with his tears. "Oh stop blubbering!" He twisted around in his seat. "I'm the _real_ victim here-"

When his eyes landed on me his words spluttered and breathed their last. I blinked at him. What did I do? He seemed to convulse as if his brain had been wired the wrong way and certain messages weren't being sent to the right place at the right time.

Finally his lips moved. "Mai's… in this… class… too?"

"Keigo, she's always been in this class with us." Uttered Chad.

The boy's eyes snapped closed, opened then closed again as if he refused to believe what he was seeing.

When the vision refused to disappear he whined a pitiful moan of horror.

Mizuiro peeked up from Chad's massive form. When he realised the coast was clear he perked up and sighed at his slouched friend.

"Yes Keigo, you're not dreaming. You did in fact say all that in front of your hero." He whipped out his mobile, already moving past the moment.

Keigo's bottom lip trembled.

Ichigo rolled his eyes. "Idiot."

Though the lesson was rather pointless I'd learned much about my male friends, in some instances a little too much. Still when the bell rang signalling its end we all exited enthusiastically into the corridor.

And there, right there was when the afternoon cracked in two.

I'd walked purposefully forward towards the stairs when-

"Li san."

Turning to the source of the noise I was able to spy Uryu Ishida making his way through the crowding mass towards me; his hand securing a thin grey bag to his side, the black of his hair shining immaculately against the luminescent lights.

"Uryu, hello." And I smiled.

There was an aura of tranquillity echoing through the controlled flux of his reitsu. It was a far better sensation than the sharp hostility that represented his dislike for Ichigo.

"Good afternoon. I heard you injured your arm last night."

I tried to shrug again, internally wincing at the awkwardness that still exited in the movement. "It's alright."

"Of course it is, but I wanted to offer my services." His glasses tilted as he spoke, the lights above him reflecting of their surface hiding his eyes.

_Services?_ I stepped aside for a group of chatting students. "What do you mean?"

He moved to the side with me. "I witnessed in class that you were having difficulty with your writing. I thought I might write up the notes you missed out on for you next week."

I blinked across at him.

From the way he kept shifting his gaze I could tell he was feeling somewhat unsettled by the situation but still he was willing to offer his help. More simply, I was glad that he was talking to me at all. He was the expert at keeping his distance.

Now all I had to aim for was for him to call me Mai instead of the incredibly boring single syllable 'Li'.

"Thank you Uryu. But are you sure, really? It isn't necessary; I'd catch up either way."

"It fine Li san." He pushed his glasses up the brink of his nose. "I'll have the notes ready for you by Monday."

I was about to thank him again; appreciative of any opportunity to retain my high position on the markers board, when Kurosaki appeared at my shoulder.

He opened his mouth to say something but paused in surprise at Uryu's presence in front of me.

Uryu stiffened.

Oh no…

The steely glint of his intelligent blue eyes fastened like glue to Kurosaki and the obviously unwanted presence of his reitsu. His own turned to steel; a flow of furious pride… oh.

Pride.

Somehow Uryu's pride would not allow him to tolerate Ichigo.

But why? What was it about Ichigo that threatened him?

I had the apprehensive feeling that Uryu had been holding onto this for quite some time and that sooner rather than later the hostile stares, once so one sided, would now elevate to physical confrontation.

Confusion laced across Kurosaki's scowl as he took in Uryu's openly hostile stare. It was understandable, but then this sliver of _something_ trespassed through his eyes and they hardened. The skin of his face tightened.

"You got a problem?"

His voice, low toned and controlled couldn't be heard beyond the three of us.

Fabulous, he already sounds heated.

Uryu's hand gripped the strap of his bag so tightly I could hear the material giving way under his palm. By the rise of energy slowly chipping away under the perfect stratum of his control and by the glare now present on his pale skinned face I was worried how close he was to making a scene for which none of us were ready for.

All of a sudden I felt trapped between two atomic bombs.

The feeling had been incredibly… male.

Any second now I felt I'd be flattened.

After the longest moment in the _history of time_ Uryu finally answered.

"With you?" He said and I flinched at how he made two simple words sound more like an insult than a query. If Ichigo's scowl didn't look irritated before it certainly did now.

Uryu chose that moment to finish. "Not at present." Not at _present_? Oh dear…

"Excuse me Li san, I'll be off." Uryu said laboriously; his good manners contradicting the brusque way he spoke to Kurosaki.

I swallowed, eyes switching from the two of them. "Okay."

He passed us extending another glare towards my orange headed friend and walked resolutely down the hallway.

Angry, Ichigo's eyes followed him until he disappeared round the corner.

"Who was that guy?" He rumbled, seriously.

Biting on my lip I dared answer, knowing that this could be the start of something unbelievably nasty.

"Uryu Ishida."

Saying the words I felt like I was signing a declaration of war.

* * *

The weekend passed with an unexpected lack of incidence.

I did visit Urahara as he requested but the sojourn didn't end in grisly confrontations with creatures of darkness.

The fresh smile he'd greeted me with as the sliding door swished open before I'd even grasped its handle sent me stumbling back.

"Mai! You came!"

Of course I did. I'd been fleetingly afraid he'd track me down if I left it for more than two days.

I'd nodded dumbly, pink smattering my cheek slightly at his cheer, and made to bow.

But he dragged me forwards into the store before I could complete the comportment.

Mmm…Kay.

The atmosphere this time was far more casual.

Jinta leaned nonchalantly against a side wall, Ururu pitter-pattered to and from the room serving hot beverages and Tessai was out of sight, probably somewhere in one of the many rooms of the store.

"Erm, I'm not trying to be rude or anything but…" I stared down at my drink in trepidation. "There's nothing in it this time, is there?"

Urahara threw a guilty smirk at me. "No, that was a one time thing only."

I frowned dubiously at him for a minute. "You're sure?"

"Of course!" He beamed from across the table.

"…Because I wouldn't want to drink this only to suddenly find a horde of hungry yokai on my back." I asked as innocently as I possibly could.

Kisuke sighed and leaned forward to peer at me form under his hat; for once the shadow disappeared and I could see the honesty in his features. "Mai, I promise."

Relieved, I nodded. "I believe you."

"Thank you."

There was a brief moment of silence where we both drank our tea. It wasn't difficult to trust Kisuke Urahara; it seemed the man was, very much like a boiling kettle, filled to the brim with secrets, some of which weren't his to tell.

When he'd explained the issue about detecting the hostile nature of yokai however I was overcome by a sense of foreboding. This sense whispered to me in a voice high pitched with sadistic laughter just how absolutely doomed I was.

"You heard me." Urahara affirmed.

I blinked at him, nonplussed.

"But how have you been fighting them all this time?"

Jinta snorted from behind me and I turned my head to frown at him. His expression sang of dissatisfaction. The boy shifted uncomfortably until he just shrugged.

Urahara cleared his throat. "We've had a limited degree of success."

The door to my left suddenly slid open and the hulking presence of Tessai stepped surprisingly adroitly through the entrance. In his beefy arms he carried some sort of electronic device with a screen attached to its bulky surface. I had no clue as to what its function supposedly was.

"It's a receiver." Having watched me from the beginning Urahara answered my silent question. "We've set up numerous transmitters located in high incidence areas around Karakura town. As you know the suburb we live in is quite large and we possess a limited number of these." He gestured to the black tool with a single finger. "They are set at a specific frequency the sole function of which is to detect the presence of low level demons. It has succeeded… but only 53% of the time." He finished hurriedly, beating his fan furiously in front of his face.

"Only 53%?" I queried, wide eyed.

He glanced up, making sure I wasn't about throw my cup at him and lifted up two fingers. "The machines fail in two areas. One…" He brought down one finger. "The transmitters take too long a time relaying data back to the receiver and two…" He dropped the second finger. "Some Yokai arrivals and there subsequent attacks are over too swiftly for the devices to broadcast in time."

"So sometimes you arrive at a site to late?"

The grim line of his lips as he picked up his tea cup spoke volumes of Kisuke's frustration.

I got the feeling that the use of the word 'sometimes' was a descriptive in need of amendment.

"And that's why I'm necessary?"

I was genuinely curious. Apart form the obvious reasons for my presence in dealing with the yokai I had a feeling that this subject pertaining to the lack of sensory data Urahara possessed was at the core for the cause of my involvement.

But the expression I glimpsed on the mystery man's face made me rethink my thoughts.

"No. That's why you're an asset." He hid his smile behind his tea cup. "You're necessary because the Natural Order of Things decided it was finally time it needed a bit of a scrub."

An orange question mark flashed conspicuously above my head. His grin widened but unfortunately he also ignored its proverbial existence.

"I need you to be ready Mai. Don't disregard any of the sensations you're able to discern from the environment around you."

"I won't." I promised.

"According to my calculations there'll be a yokai occurrence within the next five days."

"Right."

"You'll be our only reliable sensor so the moment you sense it… and you will sense it before the rest of us." He promised darkly. "…I'll need you to inform us immediately, even if you're not 100% certain."

"Will do… wait, within the next five days?"

"According to my calculations."

"But haven't the intervals between incidences been decreasing?"

"Fluctuating." He corrected.

"Fluctuating." I amended.

"Yes. Sporadic appearances are becoming more common but if we rely too much on the data we might miss something vital." Kisuke leaned on the low table in front of him, lacing his fingers together. "Though we've acquired thorough knowledge of their various methods of violence, demons don't follow any regular pattern of behaviour so we shouldn't assume that they'd follow an according attack outline."

"I see."

_I _wasn't afraid. Not at all. Me? I laugh in face of danger. And Pain? Love it! Absolutely, oh yeah… Br-bring it on... Uh huh… yep...

..._Help?_

Then I remembered something he'd previously mentioned.

"You said they possess a penchant towards cannibalism? Wouldn't that imply that they also eat their own kind?"

"Yes. The yokai do anway." He said without hesitance; his open expression asking what my problem was. "They're base creatures Mai; the yokai obey their need to satisfy their intense physical requirements." He shrugged his shoulders. "Whichever Assault Class yokai they follow promises them fulfilment."

"So… when they see me… they're going to want to… eat me?" I asked hesitantly.

"Possibly."

"Just checking." I said, nodding like everything was cake.

In the third instalment of my visit I'd presented my injured arm to Urahara.

Holding it aloft with one hand Kisuke's eyes drifted impassively over the uncovered limb.

"Well done." He muttered dryly.

Quite aware of the thoughtlessness of my actions I hummed an agreement. "It's much better today."

It was true; after a full day of dull pain I'd woken bright and early Saturday morning without so much as an itch. My forearm felt fine but obviously Urahara's eyes uncovered something mine hadn't.

"You over extended."

"My energy?"

"Mm-hm."

His other arm lying comfortably on his crossed legs lifted to grasp my hand. He pushed both his thumbs into the centre of my palm and began to pressurise the surrounding muscle.

The energy in my arm fluxed.

It circled through the limb like a ping pong ball in a pachinko machine before unexpectedly shooting down and exploding out through my upheld hand in a blaze of faint green light and directly at Urahara's phalanges.

His fingers were forced to release me.

"Crap!" I brought my hand towards my chest so rapidly my back slammed into the floor.

Wide eyed, I took in the ceiling fan whirling slowly above me. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean for that to happen."

"Hmmm…"

His hum was contemplative if not curious.

Frowning I sat up, my plat slapping the side of my face and looked at him.

Kisuke just sat there; he hadn't moved a muscle, he simply took in his fingers that he flexed experimentally before making another humming sound.

I swallowed. "Are you alright?"

His eyes were barely discernable beneath his hat but the way his lips tipped appraisingly made me think he was too deep in thought to even hear me.

Then, just as I was beginning to calm his head whipped up.

"Well, wasn't that fascinating?" He said, curiously.

Was it?

He gestured towards me enfolding his arms into his kimono. "You shouldn't hurt yourself again now that you know what it feels like. The real problem comes with controlling the output."

I nodded, exhaling. Rubbing the skin of my forehead I thought about the question that had been my true initiative behind wanting to see Kisuke today.

"Urahara?" I asked making sure I got his attention this time.

He quirked a brow, flurrying his fan. "Yes?"

"Why is my energy so different from Ichigo's?"

And from Rukia's, from Chad's, Uryu's, Orihime's… Urahara's.

His eyes took me in seriously for a moment.

"You're not a soul reaper Mai."

"But I am human. Before Ichigo became a substitute soul reaper his reitsu was still miles apart from my own."

My energy wasn't reitsu. I'd established this several weeks before; my power held similarities to spiritual energy but at its core it was fundamentally different.

I said this and kept close watch on any inconsistencies in his form: there were none. But the way his eyes focused on mine felt unnatural.

"You are human." He acknowledged. "But you hold no soul reaper comparison; your energy isn't reitsu, hollows sense your presence, you confound and stir your yokai prey and your extreme sensitivity to the environment that surrounds you exacerbates the vivacity of your instincts." He raised a brow, tilting his head to peer up at me. "The term 'Human' refers merely to a division in your genetic makeup. It is only one part of who you are."

I focused my eyes onto his, part of his statement echoing significantly inside my skull.

The _term_ human…?

…One part?

One part of what makes me an enigma? _Only_ one part…

"_One_ part ?" I asked quietly.

This time his eyes did flicker; almost a blink and a flash of something else. "Sorry?"

"One part human?"

His gaze was soft and when he next spoke his words were incredably ambiguous.

"A source of elements… but human nonetheless."

...Did he just lie to me?

* * *

**One Hour Later: Urahara Stouten**

He'd barely gotten away with that one.

She'd left, _after_ he'd shuffled her out of his sliding doors of course. He was expecting company this afternoon.

It was another glorious day. He listened, perched outside on the porch to the birds that sang nearby and let out a long sigh.

He was walking a thin line playing this game of half truths.

…_A source of elements?_

_How contrived. And yet utter fact._

_Flying a little too close to the radar with that one, aren't we Kisuke? _

A little too close to the source for comfort.

It had been a slip of the tongue; he'd merely been trying to explain that 'human' wasn't an overall descriptive: it wasn't the end and be all of everything.

In fact 'human' didn't elucidate half of what she truly was at all.

Staring vacantly over the yard in front of him he recalled how he'd attempted to negate the effect her raw energy seemed to have had on her arm.

He'd been repelled back.

The shock however was in how her power seemed to suggest that his intrusion wasn't warranted nor needed. She was already completely healed so it wasn't required.

Ruminating the possibilities Kisuke lifted his hands up in front of his face for inspection.

The tips of his fingers were still sore.

Regardless of the prevailing presence of his own reitsu, her vivacity had simply pushed his aside. A primal surge.

A searing heat that didn't burn. A disturbing chill that echoed the emotional lack of seasoned warriors.

It hadn't welcomed his intrusion.

And why should it? He hadn't asked for permission.

…_Part human?_

An ingredient. One part of a whole that made her into the being she was.

He'd almost told her. But he wouldn't… not yet.

He'd already sent her tumbling down the rabbit hole and now Alice was slowly picking up the pieces of herself hidden from view until now.

She was the answer to a prayer.

The construct of a requirement.

...To protect the balance...

Who was he to make this more difficult for her than it was already becoming?

A smirk descended on his cunning features as he sensed the approach of familiar reitsu.

_Right on time._

Needless to say a minute later the expected arrival turned into his yard and approached.

Sighing, he stood and stretched, a hand immediately settling on the back of his hat covered head.

"Back again Miss Kuchiki?"


	10. The Importance of Being Ichigo Part 2

Disclaimer: Nope! Can't say that I own it.

**Sorry for the long wait guys; I've just managed to hand in my Honour's Project and have therefore officially completed my degree course… HOLY SHIT! I'VE ACTUALLY MANAGED TO COMPLETE MY DEGREE! AFTER REDOING THE WHOLE THING! AHHHHHHHH! ADULTHOOD! I'M NOT WORTHY WAHAHAAAAAAA!**

**Cough! Sorry about that. It blows my fragile little mind. But anyway….**

**I'm pooped. Exhausted. Emotionally, mentally etc. But I've missed doing this so I squeezed this chap out of my drained self. Sorry if it's a little slap happy or strange; I was in a half coma whilst typing it. **

**Okay, weirdness time: IF YOU HAVEN'T BEEN READING THE MANGA AND DON'T WANT ANY SPOILERS REVEALED DO NOT READ THE NEXT PARAGRAPH – GO STRAIGHT TO THE REPLIES/REVIEWS.**

**SPOILERS AHEAD!**

**It was finally revealed: Ichigo's Quincy origin. Awesomesauce. The very strange thing? I'd actually kind of theorized that this would happen. Well, more accurately I thought that Masaki Kurosaki was either a) a soul reaper which I immediately discounted on the single point that Tite Kubo's character has, so far, been so unpredictable that it's almost predictable… or is it the other way around? I'm probably wrong. Anyway, I thought that he probably wouldn't have both Ichigo's parents being shinigami. B) a normal human that can see spirits or c) …a Quincy.**

**Which would inevitably link him to Uryu which is always fun.**

**And for this story I'd actually already chosen C. Now I have no idea what to do. But fear not! I will figure it out.**

**Oh, and to those who have worried about me not finishing this fic - don't be! I'm just currently moving a little slow.**

**Memory25: I'm happy you're happy. The thing about Ichigo being beautiful to Mai is based more on how she thinks he's far better person than she is. She hasn't placed him on a pedistal... it's just who she thinks he is... or has the potential to be. At least that's what she _currently_ thinks. **

**Okami Princess: Yeah... it was kind of like a wolf whistle huh. Well, Mai isn't romantically dead she's just blind to certain aspects of her life. It hasn't occurred to her that her thinking Ichigo is beautiful might be a compliment to his looks. Boy will that hit her like a bowling ball to the stomach.**

**Notreallyaname: I know, I totally know. All the things I could do, will do... happy sigh. I like to make characters reactions as detailed as I can however I will apologise for this chapter since I was running on a low battery throughout the entirity of its making. I'm sorry if it's not up to whak.**

**Bored411: I'm sorry but thw whole Kon thing will be shown in the next chapter. Why? Because this chapter wound up being longer than I expected and certain reviewers complained about chapter lengths being too long for their tastes. Not that I'm going to change or anything but if I'd included everything I wouldn't have gotten this chapter out before christmas.**

Chapter 9:

**The Importance of Being (_who you are_) Ichigo (_and not Kon_) Part 2**

_It is one of the blessings of old friends that you can afford to be stupid with them.  
_**Ralph Waldo Emerson.**

**Monday**

For two people in class 1:3, procrastination was an art unto itself: the only lesson worth adhering to.

School: _not_ the educational institution its function pertained to.

Its purpose was to specifically fund the machinations of strange and unusual friendships; a literal meeting place for buddies.

Seen as the perfect means to stave off tedium; _not_ a remedy for curing ignorance. And _definitely_ not an instructive resource, I mean _heaven_ _forbid_ they actually learn anything.

Mizuiro and Keigo: the poster boys for 'SLACKER'.

And didn't they just love it?

Heck, they took pride in their art, a conceit which made little sense to those around them. They lived by their own rules, created their own borders and boundaries (of which they had zero; seriously, just test them) and revelled in how their strangeness; an attribute analogous to their friends.

For they were all odd in their ways. Those they were closest to were the most strange.

Like Tatsuki. She possessed the might of her Vale Tudo reasoning, her excessive need to prove her feminine worth regardless of her masculine countenance and her unfailing if not hopeless hopes and dreams for the future. Most of these she made known, but a few of them she kept close to her heart. A heart more fragile than even she knew.

If Mizuiro was the push to Keigo's shove then Tatsuki would always be the predicable reactor; fashioned to argue, a stirring of hormones, argumentative and violent in the face of Keigo's footloose and fancy free style of living.

From an outsiders point of view it wouldn't be too far fetched to consider the two an item.

Except both would rather die tragic and painful deaths (no, the author isn't over-reacting) before _that_ became a reality: a too scary for words reality, in which mortification took prevalence.

Yep_. Never_ going to happen.

The impenetrable force field that is Chad, spokesman for cute things and deceptive appearances brought a certain kind of flavour and peace to a group that was sorely lacking in the latter.

Of course you couldn't miss the ever present charms of a certain bountiful goddess, oh lady of the bosom: Orihime Inoue. The Princess of WOW, the dream of all first year, second year and third year boys, there to inspire. A hope, a vision, a prize never to be won: only to be worshipped from afar…

Not that it stopped Keigo from trying or anything. Eye roll ensue…

Unfortunately for his sad, sad soul Orihime would be forever unattainable… for reasons better left untouched. For now anyway.

Mizuiro in all this was the cheerleader, the rumour mill, the conspirator and the resourceful one in pursuit of decency. Not in himself - not a chance in hell, but in others who in turn could witness in _him_ valuable traits hidden beneath streams of compulsive lies.

Ichigo Kurosaki had been the first to do so.

Mizuiro's unfailing ability to form excuses at the drop of a hat was a defence the orange haired teen had perceived as a respectable tool to be made use of over and over in the short time he'd been at Karakura High. From Mizuiro's point of the view the guy was a magnet for trouble in so many ways… and yet he was probably the most decent bloke this side of Tokyo.

Both friends took particular delight in playing him: his straight man to their stupidity. Always the easy target.

They often wondered how someone his age could be so serious. And yet he was probably the most secretive of them all; they were so sure of this that they each took turns in spying on the guy. But he always seemed to loose them.

But if Ichigo was strange then they had been completely unprepared for the conundrum of Mai Li.

So unassuming and determined to be invisible she stood out the most. The knowing of her eyes should have looked out of place with the youth of her face but it didn't. She literally came out of nowhere with an openness absent in most teenagers. But best of all she allowed Keigo to hug her. That gave her ten out of ten right then and there.

Keigo, having moved swiftly passed the 'to never again be mentioned' events of Friday's final lesson, now watched once again with searching eyes the occupants within the classroom he currently sat in.

But not in a chair: his butt was presently parked on the roof of his desk.

Mizuiro at the desk next to him; his deft fingers playing musical notes as he typed, texting suggestive messages with the buttons of his phone.

Keigo's eyes flickered over to his friend momentarily as he reminisced. He'd come upon a revelation in recent days, one he'd shared with Miz.

It went something a little like this: wouldn't he be able to cause colossal amounts of chaos resulting in the unending entertainment and unification of his closest friends with the biological answer to his question by his side?

He needed a girl!

…This wasn't much of a surprise but that's not the point…

It would be natural for a man (because he was _already_ such a man! A _gentleman_ in fact!) to want the best of both worlds?

Function of female: fun.

Of course Mizuiro would be their Commander and Chief. It wasn't the first time he'd thought about this. He already had the Silent Bob to his Jay, now he needed the Sarah to his Chuck. How much of a blast could he have then?

True, he frolicked like an idiot around his friends. And flirt? Completely without finesse.

Once, a long time ago, in a memory far far away, the universe asked Keigo the ultimate question: to be an idiot or not to be an idiot?

After much deliberation he'd declared himself a true moron.

And boredom for morons was indeed a dangerous pastime.

But finding the perfect girl… _that_ was a true challenge befitting of Keigo Asano.

Unfortunately the girl's of class 1:3 were already well aware of Keigo's manoeuvrings.

So basically… he was screwed.

As it was all he could do now was offset the ennui. Regrettably he wasn't making any progress. Staring out of the classroom window he sighed, forlorn.

_Bored._

Glazed eyes then searched the classroom: Ichigo hadn't arrived yet nor Chad.

_Sigh…_

His eyes trespassed over Orihime's brightly lit, curvaceous form and a growl of pure 'Keigo romance' lifted itself from inside his chest-

Fingernails tapping against a desk surface, their cadence echoing loudly in his ears like the drums of a death march caused him to falter. Jolting upright and sensing danger like a bunny, Keigo's eyes leaned left only to be caught in Tatsuki's dark glare.

He swallowed_…Crap!_

Having trapped him in her sights she lifted her tapping fingers and made a fist at him; her cheek twitching, her eyes livid in their warning and the index finger of her other hand slicing swiftly across her throat.

Getting the message he spun back around quickly. _Yes ma'am, steering clear of Orihime!_

Shuddering out another sigh his eyes glanced about him once more. _So bored… _He paused as his sight drifted over a figure sat at the back of the classroom. Perfect black hair moved as the head shifted; sharp blue eyes from behind even sharper looking spectacles fixed on him inquisitively.

_UGH! H-he's staring at me! No, wait, he's looking just behind me… _Keigo blinked and shook his head. _Ah! What does _that_ matter?! _His hands grabbed onto his hair sensationally. _I'M BEING STARED AT BY A DUDE!_

Before his brain could suffer catatonia from trauma induced overload the dark haired teenager lifted a middle finger and pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose. He sniffed haughtily then looked back down towards his book.

Keigo's sweat covered brow twitched.

_What's that guy's problem?_

Realising now however that Mizuiro was the only other living organism in the class who'd give him the time of day he turned his attentions on him: as usual he always found a way to pass the time.

"Eye spy with my little eye, something beginning with…"

Without moving an inch Mizuiro spoke as he stared at the screen of his mobile. "We're playing _this_ game again?"

Keigo huffed, leaning both elbows on his knees. "I'm bored and you're not helping."

"Yes, well I have girls to text."

There was a moments silence before Keigo spoke again, this time with slow anticipation.

"Mizuiro?"

"Yep?"

Keigo struck up a gallant tone. "Any chanced they'd be interested in a-"

"No."

"But-"

"No. No you're not allowed to talk to, go near, date or sleep with any of my girlfriends." Mizuiro uttered in a monotone.

"Dude, share!" He demanded.

"They're not pieces of candy Keigo Asano."

"Oh come on man! You're my BFF, wingman, bro ho! Together for life!" Keigo implored in his ear at high volume.

Mizuiro's indifferent countenance angled upwards to meet impassioned eyes. "This is me Keigo. This me not caring." He looked back down towards his phone.

"But you have _many_ girlfriends!"

The smallest of nonchalant smiles, because the statement was pure fact, flickered across Mizuiro's boyish jaw. "I know."

There was an extensive pause in which Keigo's eyes narrowed slowly at his friend.

"…You bitch."

"Jerk."

"Man whore!"

Eyes blinking spastically, Mizuiro's head shot up to gasp innocently. "I am not!"

"You are most definitely the biggest man whore in Karakura! You're like the next Hugh Hefner!" Keigo accused, pointing a sole finger in Mizuiro's face.

"Just scream it out on the roof tops why don't you!" Mizuiro quickly looked around, eyes panicked. "Seriously, the guys in Naruki didn't quite hear you!"

Keigo just looked down at him from his perch. "It isn't exactly a secret, man."

"It isn't?!"

"Oh, like you don't know your own reputation!" He snapped, folding his arms like a petulant child.

"Yeah, but this takes all the respectability out of it!" Mizuiro moaned.

"At least you have a rep to shame!" Keigo whined.

Seeing Keigo's angst filled face Mizuiro rolled his eyes. "You're droning on Keigo." He glanced back down at his phone, already over the whole situation.

"Then play with me!"

Sigh. "_Fine_." His eyes flickered up and searched. "Eye spy with my little eye something beginning with… s."

"Shoko Kusama's new 'should definitely be made illegal' black dragonfly tattoo. It's located on the back of her left thigh by the way." Keigo answered immediately.

Mizuiro's eyes flickered up at Keigo for a second. "That's kind of scary."

A self-satisfied exhale. "It's a gift."

"Uh-huh. Your turn."

"Okay! Let's see, let's see… ooh, got it! Eye spy with my little eye something beginning with 'p'."

Glancing about him, Mizuiro chewed on the inside of his cheek. "Hmmm… Purple. The colour of Mahana's bra strap; in this light you can just see it through her shirt."

Keigo winked shooting two fingers mimicking pistols at Mizuiro. "That is the correct answer!"

"What are you talking about?" Came a voice from behind the two partners in crime.

"AH!" Keigo exclaimed, immediately jumping about fifty feet in the air.

"Sorry!" The female voice exclaimed.

Ass back on earth he spun around, he seat scraping across the floor beneath his feet. "Mai!" He yelled in surprise and she smiled slightly.

"Hey." Her head tilted to the side, pieces of dark fringe falling lightly into her eyes. "So… what were you both talking about?"

Keigo started, then realising their conversation had held a 'no females allowed' sign attached raised both arms to wave in refutation about three inches in front of her face. "Nothing! Nothing at all!" He craned his head to look pleading at his best friend, ignoring how Mai was leaning back from the waist and away from his flourishing limbs with raised brows. "Right Mizuiro?"

A genuine smile of complete duplicity. "Right."

She glanced between the two boys, her right hand securing the strap of her bag to her shoulder. "_Okay_." She agreed, dryly. "Morning Mizuiro."

He closed his phone and chimed, "Good Morning!" Then he twisted out of his seat, stepped lightly around Keigo and gave her a smooth hip bump.

All thought came to a standstill for one Keigo Asano who twitched; eyes snapping to the two previously bumped hips and his mouth opened in wordless envy.

Mizuiro smiled sweetly with his hands clasped at his front.

Mai didn't notice (or didn't care). Instead she simply glanced around the classroom as Keigo had done just minutes previously.

There was a certain lack of orange hair in the vicinity that she immediately picked upon. Its absence was completed by the non-attendance of the black haired pixie normally perched this time of morning on his shoulder.

She let out a breath; her eyes gazed into nowhere as memories of the previous Friday floated back to her.

"_Rukia!" _

_Shouting without drawing any attention to oneself should be considered a talent worth of progress, especially when the culprit had only seconds ago been sprinting for a full five minutes. Accentuated stamina or no it was a difficult task to perform. Mai's footsteps came to a halt just a few feet from where the once and future shinigami female hovered, standing concerned for her apprentice of sorts._

_The dark haired death guardian jolted, startled. "Huh?" Turning from her cove in the alley way Rukia blinked at Mai's softly panting form._

"_Er, what is it Mai?"_

_The girl stood up straight, taking a measured breath. When her eyes flashed open again all evidence of strain had been extinguished. The emerald like instruments of visual necessitate flickered over to where Ichigo was currently slaying a rather long hollow about thirty metres away on the pathway from behind the high brick where Rukia was previously peering around. Moving slightly to the right she also caught a glimpse of the substitute's body littering the dirty cobble walk. Again._

_She looked back at Rukia. "I need you to promise me something Rukia."_

_Rukia quirked a brow. "What?"_

_Mai gestured towards the body on the ground. "Promise me you'll find a solution to this, to leaving Kurosaki's body anywhere in and around Karakura." The girl shook her head apologetically, but justifiably. "It isn't feasible… and it's _really_ bad for my mental health."_

"_What do you mean?" Rukia queried, intrigued though she already knew._

_Mai let out another breath and spoke with trepidation. "I didn't mention this but a few days ago I found a homeless man poking it for cash." By the complete and utter bluntness of her tone Rukia could barely suppress the twitch her upper lip betrayed as an image descriptive of her words slammed into view._

"_Yesterday…" Mai continued, "…a group of third year's tried to bleach his hair black. Today three of his _enthusiasts_ got a little too fervent for their own good and started to ah, er…" Her eyes searched for an appropriate word to use but as the semantics of the memory got to her she gave a vigorous shake of her head with a slightly sick expression etched across her features. "You don't want to know."_

"_Enthusiasts?" Rukia queried naively._

"_Fan-girls."_

_For a moment dark blue eyes gazed into red brick as she contemplated. Then…_

Ah-uh! _She turned open-mouthed and wide eyed to stare disbelievingly at her friend who nodded almost solemnly._

_The world could have exploded; it was _that_ big a deal._

_Blown away by the idea that Ichigo's looks could be considered worthy of such attention, Rukia's eyebrows shot high into her hair line. "He has _fan_-girls?" _

"_Apparently. They're a mix of first, second and third years."_

"_O-oh." She spluttered having no idea how else to react._

_Performing her obligatory but incredibly awkward half shrug thing, Mai elaborated needlessly. Less is more in some cases and this definitely fell into that category. "According to Ryo they gather in secret."_

"…_I see."_

_Ichigo with a fan group? It was as if the logic of the universe had decided that common sense was impractical._

_Waiting for the glazed-eyed Rukia to return to the land of the 'now', Mai took a step closer keeping a furtive eye on Ichigo's soul reaper form in the distance as it weaved in and out of several thin hollow leg-like things. He was almost finished, managing to swerve as he landed a swift blow to the side face of the hollow's mask. A small smile slowly grew on her lips at the effort imbued in his grunts, and at his triumphant cry of '_hell yeah_!'_

_Her incredible friend really did try so hard to deny the undeniable… _

"_Don't worry Mai; I've got everything under control!" Rukia spoke so suddenly the girl actually stumbled but managed to shake herself as she turned back to face Kuchiki. The ex- soul reaper's small hand was raised with two fingers pointing a peace sign to the sky._

"_You're using a peace sign? Seriously?"_

_Smirking, Rukia folded her arms over her chest. "Don't fret so much Mai. I really do have the situation handled."_

_The odd girl looked at her, leaning on one leg. It wasn't difficult to discern the honesty in those eyes anymore, especially with them being offered to willingly. After a few seconds Mai nodded; her suspicions corroborated._

"_You conferred with Urahara."_

_A black brow raised itself along with a returned nod but Rukia betrayed no other sign of surprise or inkling. _

Making sure however that Kisuke understood the dangers of leaving a fifteen year old teenager's body lie practically anywhere whilst its enhanced soul dealt with spiritual abhors.

And she'd made sure to utilise the magic words: "Oh Obi-wan, you're my only hope".

The inevitable grin that spread across his lips had reassured her of his aid before he'd given a reply but with the bizarre way his mind worked, like the stigma of all genius scientists, who knew what his answer would be.

She did hope that by now Rukia and Kurosaki had a more efficient method of hollow hunting because she knew, she just _knew_, that if Ichigo left to face yet another hollow with his body just lying around she'd be forced to follow him. Stalking was illegal in (_I hope_) every state; she didn't want to push her luck.

As her mind wandered Keigo shuffled closer to her side; not with a hope in hell's chance of gaining flirtatious attention mind, but with a nervous attempt at concealing evidence. "Er, Mai? He, he… yeah, how long were you standing there?"

Blinking back to the present Mai turned squarely and looked at him directly. "Since the dawn of time."

"E-er, ah…"

Feeling somewhat sorry for him she smiled, deciding to ameliorate. "I'm just kidding. I was standing there for about three minutes."

"O-oh, right!" Feeling fabulously better he nodded happily, wiping the sweat plaguing his upper lip… until the full implication of how much she'd heard smacked at him. "…_Oh._" His expression plummeted. "Uh, well…um…" Keigo floundered and her eyes began to flux in colour as she observed him in concern.

"What is it?" _Did I do something wrong?_

The fact that she didn't seem to be even remotely perturbed by the nonsense the two partners in crime had spewed turned Keigo's mind in a loop: having no reaction wasn't a response he was used to females expressing. Normally, receiving no caveat when women retaliated (cough 'Tatsuki' cough) the resulting mess typically involved a broken nose. And neither boy had exactly been deferential in regards to their gender counterparts.

Yet she just stood there, her forehead furrowing in fretful confusion. Yes, Mai was definitely a conundrum.

However the effort of actually utilizing more than one brain cell before lunch break was making his head hurt. "W-well…"

But his plea to the goddess of justice for all hopeful high school perverts was cut off in premature flight (like so many _other_ things in his short life) by a loud and overly _shiny _salutation.

"Good _morning_ everyone!"

Distracted, Mai turned her head towards the open doorway where Rukia Kuchiki stood beaming with the will of the sun. She moved forwards in speedy exaltation and yet somehow managed to maintain her usual saunter.

_Wow… _

She swore the façade of perfect sparkles glimmering through her aura mirrored clearly in any reflected surface including the eyes of each student she passed. Mai was sure she'd be glimpsing stars under the lids of her eyes for days after this.

_Well, she _is_ the perfect con artist after all… and she has it down to an art form. _Mai allowed, finding the facet more intriguing than anything else and had no qualms with it.

She certainly had one Keigo Asano hooked, that's for sure.

With prompt this hopeless teen immediately pounced, spinning round, a crimson blush spreading on his upper cheeks, and his 'love bug' dramatics in high supply.

"Looking lovely as always Rukia!" The dreamy smile on his face was outdone only by the proverbial rose coloured spectacles covering his eyes.

It was strange for Mai to witness a woman who appeared as young as Rukia did (but who was in fact several times the age of that appearance) falter somewhat over youthful declarations of adoration. Even if her experience with such spurts of angst were nil, her years of life alone should have compensated for the offset.

But witnessing Rukia's lashes flutter all over the place to cover her mystification as to the boy's closed eyes and the many, _many _hearts flying to and fro about his head… _Obviously not._

Cautiously edging around the exuberant Keigo Rukia covered her mouth with a single dainty hand in a vain attempt to remain her usual demure self as sweat drops popped into existence across her forehead. It was clear for the world to see that the ex-shinigami wasn't yet use to normal teenage machinations… she was, however an alarmingly fast learner.

"Why thank you Keigo!"

"You're welcome Rukia!"

After springing up from performing a cutsie-curtsey violet eyes flashed towards Mai who blinked at her. So Rukia wanted to talk with her? Thankfully today her approach wasn't anything remotely resembling her last attempt. She didn't want to tempt sinister feelings she still couldn't comprehend.

…Feelings that felt too present within her core to be a random incidence.

Taking a huge step around Keigo, Rukia advanced on Mai; the sparkles around her sunshine-and-rosy-faced-self twinkled like crazy.

"Mai, may I steal you for a moment?" She queried happily.

_Steal me?_

Mai cocked a brow. "…Er, sure-"

"Great!"

Without further ado a small hand whipped out and gripped her arm hauling a perplexed Mai eagerly across the classroom. An expression of excited anticipation spread brightly across Rukia's face. She forced Mai down into her seat, planted her hands as leverage on the wood and leaned her upper body across the desk towards the girl's face.

"I got it!" She exclaimed; victory echoing in those dancing eyes.

Staring at her in silent surprise Mai tried for articulation. "You got what exactly?" She tried and failed to ignore how Keigo gawked from across the room; his mouth open mid-sentence as Mizuiro blinked in bemusement.

"This!"

Rukia's hand shot out from behind her blazer. In its grasp a cylindrical shaped object protruded from under her thumb and she shoved it gaily in Mai's face.

It looked like a duck… an ugly white duck with no hair and obscenely feminine eyelashes.

"A Pez dispenser?" Mai queried, deadpan.

The open mouthed smile on Rukia's face fell off like tree-sap.

"What? _No_!" She lifted two of her fingers from around the object and presented a bright, candy green logo. "It's substitute soul candy! Gikongan!"

This was said as if it explained everything.

"Gikon-_what_?!"

"It's a soul reaper transformation item!" Rukia elaborated. "One of the most fashionable and preferred modes of hollow warfare available! Fully functional, it incorporates an ideal personality for any guardian this side of Japan! Created by the soul society, enhanced by the science department, and crafted by the Kido Corps at the behest of the women's league of soul reapers! This one is Yuki: duck edition!"

Mai blinked. "Are you trying to sell it to me or is there an actual reason for this advertisement?"

Rukia rolled her eyes, somehow managing to remain perky while she did. "It's for Ichigo. A substitute soul to harbour in his body while he rushes off to face the forces of evil!" She beamed another grin and folded her arms, waiting for the response she expected.

Eyes flickering from Rukia's contented face to the so-called 'soul candy' now prominently situated on the desk, Mai frowned. "This is your answer?"

"I voted on it with Kisuke; it was unanimous." She shrugged but her aura gave off an air of accomplishment. "We don't have to leave his body around like a dead pig any more! Feel better about it now?"

"Honestly?" Mai glanced once again at the item and made a face. "_No_."

Her friend blinked out of her smug pose. "What? Why?"

Mai's head tilted sideways in consideration. "Its… it's kind of creepy. Actually it's very creepy."

"It isn't creepy!" Rukia claimed vehemently.

"It is insanely creepy Rukia Kuchiki!"

"_How_ is this creepy?"

Chewing on her upper lip, Mai deliberated on a way she could phrase her concern without insulting the very small package of extremely lethal temperament currently tapping her foot tetchily on the class room floor.

Proceed with caution… "It's a whole other soul." She began slowly. "A soul that _isn't_ Kurosaki's residing _within_ Kurosaki's body and maintaining the image that is '_Kurosaki'_?" Her fingers theatrically highlight certain parts. "A soul abiding by a predetermined set of values and attitudes not its own and ultimately taking on these traits to appease its proprietor… eww…"

"_Eww_?"

Leaning her cheek on her right hand and peering down at the object Mai let out a breath. "I don't think Ichigo will go for it."

"He doesn't _have_ to go for it. I'll just have to show him. I'll remove him from his body for while; inject the substitute soul directly into his system and…"

A soft tinkering of laughter escaping from the soulful eyed girl across from her ceased the no-nonsense directive.

"All with his permission?" Green eyes lit up in amusement.

As is to contradict this image of harmless frivolity Rukia glanced at her impassively. "Do you really think we'd have gotten as much accomplished as we have if I were to allow him to dispute, criticise or object to everything I've tried to inform, teach, or show him?"

"…I can feel the affection from here." Mai pressed her lips together for a moment. "He really was right about you, wasn't he?"

"Huh?"

She waved a good natured hand to dispel the suspicion in those large indigo narrowed eyes. "Never mind."

Her eyes fell back to the duck-Pez-like-thing and frowned when a thought _absolutely_ worthy of scrutiny swam into her conscious mind. An orange question mark (forever dyed since her very first orange question mark) popped into existence above her skull.

"Why a duck?"

It was an honest question and she was curious. As always she was curious.

Unprepared, Rukia blinked. "Sorry?"

"Why a duck and not something that makes more sense? Are they in range or something? Like a product line?" _What a strange thought. A commodity of off the shelf souls in command for a price…_

Confusingly enough a blush spread like wild fire across Rukia's cheek bones. "O-oh it-it doesn't matter! They're in high demand so you have to take what you can get!" She floundered, huffed and puffed. "I asked for Chappie the Rabbit but they were out of stock!"

"Chappie the Rabbit?" …_What?_

"It's a bunny!"

Mai tilted her head and looked at her straight-faced.

"You… wanted the bunny?"

She was somewhat concerned for her mental health. _I've never met a person who liked bunnies so much…_

"WHAT DID YOU SAY?! DON'T LOOK AT ME THAT WAY! SO I LIKE BUNNIES, WHAT OF IT?!" Another blush exploded across the face of Rukia's embarrassed expression.

_Whoops…_

"I'M SORRY, I WAS JUST-"

"-ALL ESTEEMED FIGURES IN THE SOUL SOCIETY PREFER THE ADORABLE MACHINATIONS OF CHAPPIE! HE'S MARVELOUS!"

"ALRIGHT HE'S MARVELOUS! WHATEVER YOU SAY! I BELIEVE YOU! I'M SORRY FOR INSULTING YOU!"

The result of her words ended in Mai having her face mashed into the desk she sat in front of.

"YOU BETTER BE!" Rukia shouted; her mouth was pretty damn wide for a girl her size and her hand thoroughly squished the back of Mai's head down into the wood. "THIS PROXY WILL BE PERFECT, JUST YOU WAIT AND SEE!"

"OKAY! I WILL!" Though muffled the words echoed throughout the room.

From the front of the class room Keigo nudged Mizuiro as he watched the two females perform their strange rituals. "Is the 'soul society' some kind of club?" He whispered from behind his hand.

Mizuiro shrugged. "It must be."

* * *

**Mai**

I was sure I'd bruised my nose on its unfortunate landing with the plane of polished wood but I couldn't help but sigh in a smile of pleased awareness. It made me happy; another piece of proof that I was detaching myself from the socially inept retard that stepped foot on Karakura soil so many weeks ago.

It was quite easy being Rukia's friend. There wasn't any of the usual tension in my shoulders that normally told of my appallingly vast inexperience with the subject of amity.

Though far more cautious, Rukia, like Ichigo, didn't easily judge the deficits of those around her. But maybe I shouldn't have broached the subject of the fabled 'Chappie Bunny', whatever that was exactly.

And speaking of Ichigo…

"I kind of want to ask what you're doing… but I also kind of don't."

As per the law of the galaxy, _there_ he was! Ready and willing to witness whichever delightful situation I'd gotten myself into this time. He sounded mildly intrigued in that 'I really don't care but I also do' kind of way.

The verve of his reitsu was as strong as ever. I'd become aware of it just as he'd rounded the class room. But then again I'd already been waiting for its arrival. The verve rolled in waves, skimming over the various inhabitants of the classroom. I was sure that Uryu could feel it five seats away and was as we speak cursing its very existence. He'd seen me arrive earlier and I'd signalled him with a finger pressed to my lips to stay quiet. It was rare to receive a free moment were I could casually listen into a real 'boy' conversation, especially one that involved my friends. My _friends_. People that wanted to be familiar with me. Boys that thought I was worth it.

Listening to them was… insightful. And entertaining beyond belief. Friendly conversations between males were so much more interesting than females. Why was Keigo so scared of including me and the girls in on these forays into the male psyche? …Oh yeah, one word. Tatsuki. Right.

At Kurosaki's words Rukia's hand immediately left the back of my skull and I slowly I lifted my head, peering upwards first at Rukia whose blush was still painted like a permanent tattoo all over her face. Her lips were pursed but she rolled her eyes at the apology she observed in mine as if to say, 'seriously?'

I nodded, biting my lip once again and turned to glance at Kurosaki.

His hands were stuffed inside his trouser pockets, his head cocked to the side and he wore an expression that begged for an explanation. I noticed his stare was, once again, not aimed at Rukia.

"Hey." His scowl was in full swing this morning. The sharp angle of his brows pulled together as he indicated his head towards the route of his enquiry. "What did you say to make her highness loose it?"

Rukia's head jerked round to stare open mouthed at him. "Her _highness_?"

"Hey, I brought your breakfast up this morning and you weren't there. I'm not a hotel service." When he concentrated his frown on someone the lower half of his face didn't come into focus: it was if his eyes were his only prominent feature and they forced you to centre your attention on only them.

Especially when they were fixed so unconcernedly, or as undaunted as a scowl can get, at Rukia.

It was… nice that they felt comfortable enough with me to behave like themselves, even at such a watchful institution like school.

"I wasn't there because I was busy picking up _this_ for you!" She snatched up the duck candy and shoved the device into his chest where it landed in his ready fingers.

He stared down at it for a moment.

"A Pez-Dispenser?"

I had to bite down, hard, on my lower lip to keep from laughing at the beyond annoyed expression on Rukia's face.

"_Gikongan_." She bit out.

"Whatever." He muttered still frowning down at the item in confusion. "Soul _candy_?"

"Substitute soul." I elaborated in an effort to save Rukia from herself.

His eyebrows lifted, a question mark popping up from his skull like a daisy.

"Soul expulsion requires an inordinate amount of energy to be expelled. It would only be fitting for the same amount of power to be utilized to fill the missing piece, to power the remaining shell for lack of a better term." I explained, trying to create a suitable reason for the need for a soul to be used like a spare part. "It's a standby soul, one to exist within you while you… you know…" I trailed off.

It took him a moment, one in which he glanced from me back down to the candy to process that.

"Huh?"

Rukia rolled her eyes. "You've been complaining for a while now about how we have to leave your body on the sidewalk every time we go hollow hunting." She pointed a finger at the duck. "There's the answer!"

Ichigo's hard lined eyes stared at her for a second before they flickered towards me again and I did my utmost to keep my expression tailored in harmony with Rukia's winning grin.

I ended up with a weak, half smile.

He arched a brow at Rukia. "Uh-huh."

She made this crotchety sound at the back of her throat, her eyes narrowing impatiently towards the ceiling in a way that made me think that Ichigo got on her nerves like this every single day of the week.

"Come on. We're going."

His mouth fell open. "Wha…?"

Grasping the Gikongan she smiled upwards at him; the bogus genteel in her countenance present for all the class to witness from behind his back. "I need to show you how this thing works."

"But class is about to start! You can't just drag me off whenever you feel like it!"

"Just come _on_ already!"

"If you've got something to say, say it here!"

From my position behind the desk the only visible portion of Rukia to be seen ended at the top of her thigh. So when her foot launched itself upwards I was unable to witness the muscles in her leg rotate in accommodation and therefore didn't realise the painful conclusion until Ichigo's upper body jerked and stiffened, his face contorted with sheer agony.

Oh… geez… ow.

"UNH!" A grunt squeezed its way from out of his oesophagus followed by the collective wince of every male in the class room.

I flinched pretty hard myself.

From the hips he fell forwards sucking in a shaky breath: one hand grasping at the desk while the other remained rigidly clamped on his left thigh.

My eyes were ginormous by now, comically wide and my stomach clenched in sympathy as I tried to grasp at comprehensive words. "Rukia, you-"

-Her hands came up; one each to grasp the cheeks on her face in theatrical woe. "Oh Ichigo! What happened to you?!"

Uh…ah…

Kurosaki's hunched over form twitched once. Without shifting those clenched shoulders he forced his head up to aim an almost perfect death glare at her through his fringe, somewhat marred by the panicked sweat carousing down the sides of his face; his eyebrows twitched with animosity.

"_Totally… gonna_…_ kill… you…_" It came out in a wheeze.

With the majority of her face covered from the nosey eyes of the rest of the class by her stylishly swish hairstyle Rukia smiled at him, her eyes twinkling with wicked intent.

This time her hand lashed out endeavouring higher towards his sternum.

"Wait, Rukia-" I tried to shout, reaching out with my hand…

WHACK!

Such an abusive relationship…

Having the breath forced unceremoniously out of his lungs made his already beyond pissed off eyes enlarge, incredulous. "OOF!" His back buckled and the arm supporting his weight on the desk wrapped itself around his abdomen as he made a sound analogous to a dying moose. He flopped down past my line of sight and flumped just beyond my desk.

There was silence for about three seconds until a pitiful moan echoed up from the floor.

"…_Oh-h_."

There was a resigned sigh and I glanced dumbly at Rukia who just stood there with her hand covering her mouth as she mock gasped. "Oh dear! I better get you to the nurses office!"

And, without preamble, she reached down, grabbed a part of his anatomy, I'm guessing (hoping) was his ankle, and began to pull.

"H-hey, wait!" Ichigo gasped.

Rukia's head reappeared along with the rest of her as she strained and pulled on his ankle. "I need to… show you… something… move it!" She grunted, her teeth clenched and her eyes squeezed shut in effort.

Trying to input a note of rationality into an otherwise ridiculous scene I raised my hands as if to pacify. My eyes glanced about the class catching the many stares from bemused classmates.

"Er, Rukia? Wouldn't it be better to wait until break, I mean then you could-"

"NO!"

"…Okay." Right. Groovy. Continue.

"I'm not going anywhere with you!" Ichigo shouted at her, his other foot lashing out to push her back.

"Don't… be such… a _baby_!" Rukia grated out, still pulling and I swear I saw her fingers steal inside his pants leg and nip the skin there.

Chiyu had told me once that it was pretty painful for some men to have their leg hairs pulled and the resounded yowl from Ichigo more or less confirmed this.

"WHAT THE HELL, YOU FREAKING MIDGET!" My desk shuddered when he latched onto it for leverage.

Since it was Rukia here she, _naturally_, kicked him back, her little foot squishing into him with each jab. "MOVE IT!" Veins of irritation pounding blood under her skin stood out on her forehead.

"NO!"

"DO IT!"

"GET LOST!"

Rukia's small arms pulled once again, yanking on his ankle until finally, because with cause and effect something always has to give, I heard his body begin to slide across the floor.

The legs of my desk groaned threateningly as he clutched them with increased determination.

"AAHHHHRRRR…!"

"Come… on… already!" The balls of her feet pushed wilfully against the floor

"DAMMIT!" Another worrying creak. Then… "FINE!"

All movement seemed to cease from under the wood and I blinked along with the rest of the classroom, the majority of which were taking pictures and watching with unconcealed prying eyes.

Without any kind of warning a hand latched onto my ankle and pulled.

Well… this wasn't good.

I yelped first, clinging to the desk in a panic and trying to deliberate, _calmly_, on the many possible innocent reasons as to why Ichigo might be grabbing at my leg.

That all went out through the window when that same hand pulled again and my backside attempted to slide across my seat with the movement, eventually leaning dangerously over the wooden rim. "Ah-ha ah!"

_What the does he think he's doing?! Even Rukia's stopped hauling him to the door to stare!_

I pushed my feet against the flooring in an effort to stop my back from sliding further down the chair support. My arm saved my chin from almost smacking down into the desk; the fingers clutching tightly to the metallic side of the counter.

"Ah…" Eyes flickering to and fro over the rim of the desk, I settled on an open mouthed Mizuiro, Keigo and a just arrived Tatsuki who all appeared to be a little dumbfounded. I gave them a nervous kind of giggle that was meant to be reassuring but _sooo_ wasn't and then vanished with a crash to the floor.

* * *

Being pulled through a minute gap between hard wooden chair and desk? Not a pleasant experience.

I yelled on landing; my back hitting the floor harder than expected.

Swiftly however, before I could even orientate myself my body was lugged across the floor with a tug that jerked my diaphragm and simultaneously made me cough.

I shook myself out of the surprised haze covering my brain, because for the life of me I couldn't wrap my head around the knowledge that my friend Ichigo Kurosaki was currently attempting to haul me across the floor by the ankle the same way Rukia was doing with him. The fact that we were surrounded by our class mates who were just _standing_ there, mere minutes before first period was about to begin only helped quicken the shock.

Unable to view how astonished confusion transformed my eyes I tried to speak as calmly as possible; peering down the length of my body at strong fingers wrapped around my ankle, his face just south of them.

"W-what are you doing?! You… oh."

The sight of him curved around the left metallic desk leg was purely comical; I had to chew on the inside of my cheek to prevent laughter from bubbling out of nowhere before I remembered I was down on the classroom floor attracting far too much attention.

Like a cat threatened with soapy water he looked harassed; his left leg was arched high in the air into Rukia's willing hands. Even his _hair_ stood on end… well, more than it usually did anyway.

Though horror-struck his brown eyes were unwaveringly obstinate as they snapped from my ankle towards my green ones. It was new and… disconcerting, having him stare up at me in such a way with us both lying all over the place.

"What does it look like I'm doing?!" He spazzed; his eyebrows arched _every which way _on his forehead.

"It _look's_ like an adolescent panic attack."

"Appropriate considering that's EXACTLY WHAT THIS IS!" He pulled on me again and my arms flailed idiotically as I tried to avoid banging my head into the underside of the desk.

Exhaling as I stilled again I frowned at him "Is she really that bad?"

"She's worse Mai." He uttered straight-faced. "And you… are _so_ going with me."

"Wait!"

With a final yank I came sliding out from under the desk with him in perfect view for all my classmates to see. However, before I could even blink away the gathering blush on my cheeks he was dragged sideways into the doorway by a clearly 'determined to succeed at all costs' Rukia Kuchiki. When I tried to resist the flow of movement Ichigo's left hand shot out to join his right and the pressure on my ankle increased in warning.

_So_. Not. Fair.

He was literally going to drag me out of class, was _succeeding_ in dragging me out of class. So of course I did the normal thing…

I balked.

"I-I can't!" I stuttered presenting a meeker 'me' I wasn't even aware existed and trying as he had to grasp onto nearby desks to stem the tide of natural physics. Unfortunately I only ended up lugging them with me.

"Kurosaki, I have class! _We_ have class!" It made sense to my oh-so-logical mind to try and input some reason into this so I did, shouting over the scrapes of metal on wood like nails on a chalk board.

To counter this Ichigo just growled as he continued to slip and slide. "Tell _her_ that! I'm not going by myself!" He griped, his forehead bunched and sweating in effort.

"You're the one with the iron grip on my ankle!"

But he wasn't listening.

"I _swear_ she's using a binding spell on me again…"

For a moment I was diverted. "Sorry?"

"I can't get up." He said, eyes snapping back to me. "I keep trying to move but it's like I'm glued to the fricking floor!"

"Wait, is that why _I_ can't move too?" My head tilted as I inquired.

"_Probably_." He muttered darkly.

She used a binding spell on him? What was a binding spell? Some sort of energy bind maybe, equivalent to a kind of stasis or locking mechanism? One that works with a person's lowest centre of gravity? …How was it affecting me too? Better still, how was I going to break free of it in front of God and all his saints? The entire class was observing, gazing at our, not quite as subtle as Rukia had hoped, exit.

Glancing at us both Rukia could only groan in exasperation. "Oh _fine_ then! _Both_ of you move it already!" She heaved once again on his foot and he slid further pulling me through the open doorway too and down the shiny hall floor…

_Ugh!_

My head flopped back, hair and all buffeting against the cold floor and I sighed.

This was just _great_. Brill-o.

I did _not_ see this one coming today. So much for clairvoyance.

The lights over head passed us by and I began to count. Then, as per usual a _really_ serious thought popped into my subconscious.

"For such a tiny person she's _really_-"

"-Strong?" Ichigo's voice carried towards me in an undertone. "Tell me about it."

More like strong willed than physically strong… I shook my head, snapping out of it. "This is ridiculous."

"So is life." He responded just as grouchily.

"Tell me about it."

But just because the universe seemed to take a rather perverted delight in proving us so astoundingly correct Miss Ochi chose this perfect time to push through the doors leading from the third floor stair case.

Everyone and everything stopped still.

My mouth opened as Ichigo's snapped shut.

Eyes wide my cheek twitched at the utterly bamboozled expression on our teacher's face. The hair held so perfectly in one bobble seemed to wilt as several small strands sprang free accentuating her puzzled state. Finally she stepped forward, walking curiously towards us.

Her black loafers stopped casually by my head.

Now any other student would probably begin stuttering out excuses as to why they were being toured out of class instead of towards it but Ichigo… he just lay back, cool as a cucumber as if it had been his plan all along to be dragged through the corridor in such a way.

I just looked up at her and waved. "Good Morning Miss Ochi."

"Good Morning." She replied quite normally, as if seeing the tiniest student in class dragging the most hot-headed one who had an unrelenting grip on the class's self-effacing busy body was an every day occurrence.

"Mai Li? Ichigo? Rukia?" She said, glancing from me to Kurosaki and then Rukia in sequence.

"Yes ma'am?"

"Yo." Ichigo replied casually.

"Morning!" Rukia tooted. She hadn't, I realised, dropped her grip on the ankle she was currently squeezing the life out of.

Miss Ochi smiled at us as if everything was a-okay.

She nodded contemplatively, possibly intuitively seeing something beyond us with her clipboard up high in the air with one hand. "Well you look like you're all busy! I'll see you later in class, okay guys! Remember! Work hard, play hard!"

"Right Miss Ochi!" We all chorused sweatdropping.

Happy with her blessing our teacher almost skipped in self appeasement towards our classroom and we watched her leave with blank expressions of unbelievable confusion.

What just happened here?

This phenomenally retarded exercise in futility to make Ichigo comply with commands only started because Rukia happened to possess less considerate finesse than a fat guy on crack.

Trying to find some form of explanation in the faces of my friends I caught a pair of resigned brown eyes now following Rukia's movements as she attempted once again to _pull_ two people unbelievably quickly outside with her… thanks to some sort of binding spell… and I had no choice…

…Oh well.

Isn't that the way everything had occurred in Karakura up till now?

It wasn't as if I felt endangered by anything. Everything should be fine from here on out; I mean we were just heading towards the stairs…

…The stairs.

Oh crap.

My gaze shot down past Ichigo to the door Rukia had somehow managed to open (she must be really gifted). There they were looming perilously ahead of us. Six flights of them in fact. An incredibly bumpy ride.

Hearing Kurosaki's '_er'_ sound of the epically understated descriptive phrase of 'that's not good' floating ahead of me informed me he had also noticed this problematic hazard.

"Er, Rukia?" I asked carefully, hands grasping the floor like an idiot. "Rukia, we'll walk, alright. I promise not to run away okay? So does Ichigo! Rukia! RUKIA!"

Oh boy…

* * *

…**Meanwhile in the Classroom**

"Whoa… what freakish dimension did I just step into?"

So far Tatsuki hadn't been able to pull herself out of the daze she'd stepped into at witnessing the sight of Ichigo clawing at the floor like an aggravated cat, the spectacle of him clutching at and forcing an unwilling Mai out from under her desk and finally their subsequent drama in which both were dragged kicking and screaming down the corridor…

…_So unexpected._

…And their teacher hadn't done anything but grin in sheer happiness. So much for educational discipline. But the majority of the class was already well aware of Miss Ochi's soft spot towards Ichigo, her like of Rukia's obvious ability to speak fluent fraudulence and her appreciation for Mai's unerring method of accepting everything that came her way with an unassuming smile.

_Hell, we're all secretly enthusiasts in regards to those three… _

It just didn't explain _why_ it was _always_ those three.

She blinked; her dark eyes unfocused. _Come to think of it, the three of them are always talking quietly… like they share a secret or something… _she pondered, nodding to herself at her discovery. It wouldn't be too much of a stretch of the imagination to come up with…

Meanwhile…

"Should we follow them?" Keigo muttered to Mizuiro who peered around him and out of the doorway towards the sound of Mai trying to form sentences whose prime function was to induce some appearance of rationality into the situation but unfortunately were only coming out as shouts of alarm.

"Hmmm…"

Keigo blinked at him. "Hmm? What do you mean by 'hmm'? They-"

"NO RUKIA!"

Both teens visibly jolted looking at each other in perplexity. Slowly, they turned to peer round and stare down the hall wishing with all their wildest rumour-mill, chronic mischief maker hopes to see through the wall between them and the origin of the yell.

"ST-STAI-RS! T-THE S-TAIRS! ST-STOP IT PLE-EE-AAA-ASSSS-EEE!" Mai's shout reverberated throughout the third floor as she was pulled and by the sound of it speedily down step after step, flight after flight.

But Ichigo's tone countermanded hers in terms of pure 'pissed off' Kurosaki attitude. "DAMMIT RUKIA! YOWOWOWOWOWOWOW! …_OW_!"

"STOP MOANING!"

They winced in unison as the sound of soft human bodies hitting against glass panelled doors sounded out in the resulting silence.

"W-whoa…"

Mizuiro simply shrugged; his mobile shut and resting deep within his pocket (after taking about 1000 pictures) he felt more than ready to enjoy the show.

But before they could move an inch a wily arm held aloft and carrying a rather hard clip board smacking them both in the face.

"H-hey!" Keigo cried, slapping a hand against the mark and further exacerbating its soreness.

The fragile flower that is Mizuiro probed the spot with a single finger. "…Owie."

"No Mr. Asano, class is still in session and I will not have my students trapezing about the hallways." Spoke the free spirit of their home room teacher.

"But Miss Ochi, what about them?!" Cried Keigo, stamping a foot and pointing down the corridor to the source.

"Oh?" She raised her brows behind her glasses and shrugged. "They obviously have places to be."

"_MISS OCHI_!"

* * *

…**Now Outside**

It's surprising that a flight of stairs could produce some of my all time worse bruises to date, even with exceptional healing capabilities.

Ichigo wasn't fairing much better either… not physically anyway.

Mentally he was grinning like the Cheshire cat, which took on a somewhat intimidating quality when combined with the permanent scowl tapered across his face.

Why?

Oh because I'd lost control, somehow, yet again, as always, so on and so forth when I attempted to quite simply pull away from the technique Rukia had made use of to detain both me and Ichigo.

I had gone off like a grenade. Pin pulled: boom-baby.

An unsuspecting Rukia had been catapulted across the thankfully soft grass around the side corner of the main building. Her landing was graceful though. After being blasted clean off her legs, the momentum equivalent to the force of a super punch to the stomach she'd somehow been able to lightly skid to a stop on her ass, several metres away blinking periodically into shock induced space.

Oh so helpfully Ichigo had watched the entire thing; his eyes displaying a bewildering amount of curiosity at the bright flash of energy that shot out from me that run smoothly over his form to bang almost playfully into Rukia's chest.

In the several seconds of silence that followed he'd had stared, sitting on the grass with a 'what the hell' expression attached.

And then, like the beautifully considerate friend I'd discovered him to be, he'd laughed his head off. A bark like snigger that had shockingly gone unnoticed by Rukia as she attempted to make sense of being capsized by a mere flash of energy that wasn't the reitsu she was used to analysing.

…I honestly hadn't meant to do that.

However, the initial decision to break free had definitely been an action I was in control of.

On the Saturday I'd visited him, Kisuke had provided me with lessons in control to carry out and maintain until it became second nature.

Unfortunately the management of my energy required concentrated amounts of organized supervision. But how could one manage instinct? Fortunately Urahara had proposed to me some sure fire techniques so outrageously easy to perform I'd wondered if he was playing one of his _little_ jokes on me.

A rudimentary breathing exercise preceded all else; it helped to order the current within me.

Circulating my energy with every inhale I had to basically allow my energy to flux with each breath.

Surprisingly enough after spending the majority of my Sunday meditating in my bedroom, a relaxed state in which I sat like a monk and, looking kind of moronic, keeping the tips of my fingers pressed against my thumbs as my hands relaxed on each knee.

The nonplussed looks on my family's faces as they came to check in on me throughout the day would have been funny if I didn't completely agree with how nonsensical it appeared to be.

But amazingly enough it had helped the flow.

And it showed now.

My verve was… potent, more so than I realised.

It wasn't similar to Ichigo's tidal wave of reitsu. But its raw state, the unhandled and concentrated energy was so intense it need only be used sparingly. I delve too deep within me for simple tasks such as sensing the aura of those around me and, just like now, for the separation or breakdown of an obstacle or threat.

And as a consequence Rukia now sported a rather striking looking bruise on her backside.

_I released a breath of pure contrition._

"_Oh, that really wasn't supposed to happen…"_

_As if in testament to that Kurosaki remained on the ground where the dragging ended and was staring across the fifteen or so metres of school lawn at Rukia who was blinking stupidly up at the sky in a daze._

"_No kidding." He muttered._

_Yep… should have thought more about that one. I rotated sideways, my hands pressing against the pavement to push up from the ground and stand. "Rukia!" I called to her. _

"_Just leave her there."_

_Hearing the smile in his voice I frowned down at the mirth diminishing the lines of his scowl in confusion. Glancing at me out of the corner of his eye he closed them and sighed when he saw my expression. "Did you see her face?" He drawled. "It was freaking hilarious, even she thought so. Besides…" A smirk spread like a mark of justification on his jaw. "…An eye for an eye. Heh."_

_My head tilted. "How does the Code of Hammurabi pertain to this situation?" I queried genuinely interested in his answer._

_He'd been nodding to himself sanctimoniously as I asked the question but at its completion he blinked; his scowling brows seemed to pull in even further together than usual. _

"…_Code of Hammurabi?" He asked, leaning back with his hands on the ground to square a brow up at me._

_My nod was more self-conscious than explanatory. Like he wanted a lecture about ancient laws; _god_ I was a boring friend. Why did he insist on hanging out with me again? "The er, Babylonian mandate pertaining to the extreme list of 282 laws cultivated by the sixth Emperor Hammurabi in 1772 BC to bring forth a form of order to an otherwise uncivilised judicial system and welfare state." Swallowing I continued under the intense sensation of his focused stare. "'An eye for an eye' is one of the codes on the list of those laws."_

"_Really?" Those eyes finally let me go when he chose to ponder into space. "…Hmm. I didn't know that."_

_Most don't, there's just always been something incredibly wrong with me._

"_I-I should just, er…" I tried, gesturing towards Rukia. "…Go over there. Yeah."_

_With his thoughtful scowl following me I walked forward stepping foot onto the breeze strewn grass towards Rukia who hadn't yet managed to materialise up from the soil._

_Reaching her side I looked down at her face. Though no longer stunned into confusion there was a contemplative aspect to her absent minded stare aimed at the sky that puzzled me. "Rukia, are you okay?"_

_She blinked, breaking her introspective state of mind. "Huh?"_

_I lifted my left hand and waved at her silently._

_Another blink later and she shot up so swiftly I thought her spine might actually crack in two. "Oh… Mai, er what-"_

"_-AHAHAHAAHAH! MAN, YOU LOOK LIKE AN IDIOT!"_

"_S-SHUT UP ICHIGO!"_

_Her shout accomplished nothing as it echoed off the buildings surrounding us and I kind of understood Ichigo's need to laugh. Her hair looked like a bomb had gone off. The uniform that usually looked so precise and pristine on her form appeared battered and weather beaten, creased and grass stained._

_But as unfazed as Ichigo was she'd have to run around on fire before he took any notice; currently he was too busy hacking up a lung._

_Now normally I'd have at least twitched a smile at the dishevelled state Rukia was currently in but I still just felt contrite. _

_Her bottom lip pulled in as she tried to keep her blush at bay. "Are you alright?" I repeated._

"_I'm fine." She huffed; a brow twitching at Ichigo Kurosaki who I witnessed was already on his feet and leaning against the brick wall facing the race track. His scowl clearly stated 'running of patience' and his arms were crossed over his chest. _

_Shuffling my feet I placed my hands inside the front pockets of my pants._

"_I'm sorry Rukia."_

_Large eyes turned towards me. "Huh?"_

_The half shrug I would never be able to fully complete helped me phrase my thoughts into words. "I was just trying to break free of that 'binding spell' Ichigo said you had us under. My control isn't as proficient as I would like to be yet." I took her in; the light of my eyes regretful. "I'm sorry if I hurt you." _

_She blinked at me; her mouth wide open and catching flies. "Oh… But you didn't! I'm completely and utterly fine!"_

_Commence eyebrow twang. "Er…"_

_The smile on her face almost flattened me to the grass. "Really, you worry to too much Mai!" _

_My head tilted sideways. "I can never worry too much."_

_If I didn't concern myself with these things I could seriously hurt someone with my ignorance and negligence. _

_Rolling her eyes she shifted her feet planting them firmly under her and stood. "It didn't hurt. Although…" She frowned and brought a hand behind her to straighten her skirt, trying to furtively rub a sore spot with vigour. "Sitting down's going to be a problem for the rest of the day."_

_Ah, well, yes… "W-well, I…"_

"_What?"_

_Oh, who did she think she was kidding? I mean really? "…You're not the only one with bruises on her behind. Did you have to drag us down six flights of stairs Rukia?"_

_It took her a moment as if she were taking my question into serious consideration. "Yes. Yes I did."_

_Okay… "Why?"_

_She shrugged, performing it so perfectly I was almost envious. "Because."_

"_Because…?"_

"_Just because."_

_Sweatdrop ensue. "…Swell. Thank you Rukia."_

"_You're welcome Mai! Now let's go pay Ichigo back for that little laugh of his…"_

_As she stomped over towards a now aware and rapidly paling Ichigo (well she _was_ rolling up her sleeves ready for an almighty smack down) I could only stare blankly; as far as I was concerned she'd had _far_ too much fun listening to us shout out and beg to care about whether or not it hurt. Rukia was just… _

_She was a friend… yes._

_And funnily enough good friends bruised._

Peering down at the diminutive shape I was awed; the phrase 'big things come in small packages' containing so much more meaning to me now than ever before.

"It's so small." I muttered examining with my eyes at the pearl shaped object sat harmlessly in Ichigo's open palm.

It was the size of a marble. When he'd pressed on the head of the Pez-duck-head-thing, Kurosaki had almost glared at the thing, probably thinking it was some kind of trick and blinked at it hard. Immediately he'd presented it to me; ignoring Rukia's scoff and looking at me as if I'd be able to explain the strangeness of a soul existing as a tiny candy ball.

W-well I couldn't.

I couldn't work past the sensation that the object was alive; not alive as in sentient and useful, but alive as in intelligent, warm and _very_ much aware of its surroundings.

As if this Gikongan was listening to us, pressing its metaphorical ear against the very real container.

"…This is a substitute soul?" Ichigo asked Rukia for the fifth time.

"It is."

His eyes glanced from Rukia, to his palm and then back. "And I what? Swallow it?"

"Correct."

An orange brow arched itself in contemplation. "What'll happen?"

"Find out."

Probably thinking he had nothing to loose he eyed the strange prop before shrugging, shoving it in his mouth and audibly swallowing.

There was a pause, then…

A shock of reitsu flared out of him before his shinigami soul was forcefully shoved from the back of his now inactive body; his face was the epitome of shock. Without the glove. Cool.

Ichigo's head shot sharply at one black kimono covered arm to the next in a kind of disbelieving trance and his eyes popped. "It worked! I'm out of my body!"

Rukia sniffed smugly. "Did you expect it to fail?"

"Er…" His eyes flickered to the side and back as if to say 'are you kidding?' "Yes."

She huffed. "Just watch alright!" Her finger whipped out and pointed exultantly towards his body where I was…because I'd managed to catch it… and unbeknownst to Rukia we were both now in a somewhat er, _dodgy_ position… and it was _all_ my fault, god _please_ forgive me. "Instead of lying around like road kill your body will now be animated by a…"

She continued to blabber not noticing how Ichigo had suddenly stiffened.

The sun enriched brown of his eyes had rolled at her enthusiasm glimpsing me in the process and then turning to stone. It was unusual to see someone like him, a guy so used to impulsive movement stand there frozen; his body stock still in his shihaksho, like a cat with its fur on end. His wide eyes almost popped and being such a multitalented organ also managed to direct a dangerous glare at my midriff, the _source_. By the disbelieving twitch of the muscle under his right eye, as if he couldn't begin to process what it was he was seeing it was pretty much indicative of a now extremely precarious mental state. This on top of his rather aggressive temperament suggested an explosion could be imminent at any time now.

And I honestly couldn't blame him. At all.

…Since _I'd_ have _no_ idea what I'd do in _his_ position. I had no idea what _I'd_ do if I were watching _my_ body wrap its arms single mindedly around _his_ torso in an almost excruciatingly, mortifyingly _tight_ grip with _my_ face pressed against his chest, _nuzzling_ into the crevice between _his_ pectorals and issuing soft sounds and hums like a cat purring for cat nip! For cream!

…Because that's _exactly_ what his body was doing to mine!

As it was by brain was currently taking a vacation in the land of WHAT. THE. HELL!

I didn't know what the sub-soul thought it was doing but I could feel… I could feel…

…Ichigo's nose inside my cleavage. His nose. _Inside_ my _cleavage_. The button hole of which was now wide open.

My eyes shot to Ichigo's brain fried gaze trying to communicate something through them beyond '_help'_. The fact that my face had turned the colour of a red rose did not help me.

The moment he'd exited his back his body had fallen forwards and I'd, because I'm his friend and I didn't want to see his face crack concrete, caught it. My arms held him under each armpit as I waited for the two bickering soul reaper aspirants to realise his body wasn't moving yet…

And then, as suddenly as the rearing of a snake's head I'd felt his body shudder.

Realising that maybe holding him the way I was wouldn't be the best way for a Gikongan to awaken I moved to set him on his feet, glimpsing down at his face as I did so. I had a momentary snapshot of a pair of brown eyes blinking sans the frown, which did strange things to the contours of his face, before a suspicious looking smile the size of Mount Etna erupted on the expression of a boy previously incapable of showing such blissful contentment.

But before I could process the odd sight (dumbly staring like a moron) and wonder at what was so delightful I felt something soft slide around me and I suppose that's what initially confused me.

Never once did I wonder what the skin on Ichigo's arms felt like but if I had speculated on such a thing my first thought would never have been that it was soft. But it was; soft skin over wiry musculature and before I knew it my own arms were promptly and thoroughly pinned to my sides as Kurosaki's body darted forwards, wrapping both forearms around my back where his hands linked together.

Trapping me.

Tight. Tight, tight, _tight_.

Oh sugar-doodle…

The bent form of his front, a much more… _solid_ surface than I would have ever have thought, was pressed heavily against my stomach and as inexperienced as I was with dealing with the male half of the species I'm afraid my brain chose that moment to fall into fault.

His hair smelt like tea tree and lime… and coconut.

Really helpful information there Mai, well done.

By then Rukia seemed to have finally noticed my predicament and I relaxed slightly relieved that female aid would be awarded to me soon… but unfortunately all I received was a Rukia that warred between shock and stupid curiosity.

Great.

"O-oh! Er ah…" She floundered, staring at how the Ichigo replacement was… _cuddling_ me, instead of doing his civic duties.

Her stutters seemed to crack the solid stone surface of her 'almost-but-not-really-protégé' and his head whipped around to glare spastically at her; his eyes twitched and a dark gloom settled ominously over his head. "What the hell is this Rukia?!"

"W-well I-I don't know…"

"Is that all you have to say?!" His eyebrows twitched.

"Well at least it's functioning!"

"_FUNCTIONING_!"

"Er, guys-" I tried to speak steadily with the human magnet attached to me like it was but they drowned me out.

"Calm down!" Rukia shouted.

"YOU CALM DOWN! I'M H-HUGGING HER! I MEAN _HE'S_ HUGGING HER! IN _MY_ BODY! HE'S HOLDING MY BEST FRIEND, LIKE _THAT,_ IN _MY_ BODY! _WRONG_! WRONG, WRONG, _WRONG_!" Red flushed madly up Ichigo's neck to his ears where steam seemed to almost spill out in a torrent.

My brain chose the perfect time come out of temporary brain freeze.

Did he just call me his best friend? Not _friend_ friend but _best_ friend? What… was that just a slip of the tongue or did he mean it? And if he did…

Oh… wow. _R_-_really?_

"Look he's only hugging her! It's a form of self expression, a greeting, like a handshake! I'm pretty sure I read that in this book I was reading…"

"ARE YOU DERANGED?!" His eyes practically turned bulbous.

"W-WHAT!"

"WHAT THE HELL KIND OF BOOKS ARE YOU READING?!"

"HIGH PRICED ONES!"

"WHAT HAS THAT GOT TO DO WITH ANYTHING?! AND WHILE WE'RE ON THE SUBJECT WHAT SECOND HAND STORE DID YOU GET _IT_ FROM?! PERVERTS 'R' US?!"

"Guys!" I managed to finally shout.

They paused, nose to nose and glaring daggers at each other to blink over at me from out of the corner of their eyes.

Ichigo's body was still wrapped around mine.

"Little help?" _Pleeeeaaaassssseeeee_?

Immediately they straightened; Ichigo's mad blush turning pink and retracting while Rukia exhaled and rubbed the space between her eyes with her right index finger and thumb. "This is getting us nowhere."

"Damn straight." He huffed.

But then a noise, one that came with words sounded out in a muffled spell from my shirt where a certain person's face was still buried and I was wondering why oh why my two dear friends were currently not pulling it, _him,_ off me.

"_Hmmmm_… so soft… Heaven…_nnh-mmmm_…"

Oh _God…_

"AH-H!" Kurosaki looked about ready to implode. "What the hell!"

…It sounded nothing like Ichigo _that's_ for sure.

But the small shiver of quicksilver horror that sped down my back making me flush bright red all over again was sure to be extreme mortification. I could try to escape but in doing so I might accidentally hurt Ichigo's arms…

And speaking of Ichigo…

"I'm going to have that image in my head for LIFE!" The palm of his right hand dragged miserably over his face as if he'd just been asked to engage in Mortal Combat with Godzilla. As his hand revealed his eyes once again the left one twitched as he stared at his body. "Right."

He strode purposefully towards me and I blinked at the abruptness of the action. Fisted hands clenched and unclenched as his feet stopped in front of me; his eyes searched for a solution, blushing once again at the image of his face in my breasts. By how his brows drew together tightly over his hesitant eyes I could tell he was pretty uncomfortable about how to proceed.

"I could…"

His eyes flashed upwards at mine, his scowl ridged and tense.

"…I could simply break free but I'm afraid I'd damage your body." I alleged quietly, more than ready for my sides to stop being squeezed.

He looked genuinely apologetic too; brown eyes ashamed and pissed all at once.

This would be hilarious… if it wasn't me or him in this situation.

Finally he seemed to steal himself and growled. "That's it."

Reaching forwards with his right hand he grasped the back of the neck of his own shirt and forcefully yanked his body away from me. Such was the movement that I was careened forwards as the Gikongan recognised too late that he was too be pulled away from his… _heaven_… yikes… and tried to hold me tighter if that were possible but to no avail.

Sweat-drops were abounding. "GET OFF HER YOU LITTLE PERV!"

With an unexpected childish whine the body was pulled away and a gasp of relief tore out of me, the blood thundering through my squeezed sides as I stared open mouthed at the two Ichigo's.

This was my first opportunity to gage if the sub-soul could really behave like the host's soul. So far…

By physical expression alone they were complete opposites.

It was surreal.

The Ichigo Kurosaki I was lucky to know wore, always, the hard lined scowl upon his face like a badge of honour. Like a duty; it held a deeper meaning than most would probably ever realise. I didn't understand the need for the image but it was so ingrained in him now that it had become part of his personality, a part that he worshiped and took pride in. An image laced with attitude. One designed to be particularly intimidating and strong; a reflection of his inner self. A core… _dented_.

He'd suffered at some point; a mark on his heart and in his conscience that twined only a semblance of his former self into the amalgamation that was now his entire being.

…Beautiful in black.

It beat harshly, perseveringly and hopefully in the light beyond the dark of my own twisted self.

I would never dream of standing my own soul against his. I hadn't the right.

…But this Gikongan liked to smile. To partake in the same physical delights that all guys his age enjoyed. He was Keigo and Mizuiro and Jihi… not Kurosaki.

A horny teenager. Rukia had purchased a horny teenage substitute soul to fit inside the least lascivious teen in Karakura, appearance wise anyway. Tell me she tested the product before purchase?

The blushing grin of utter perverted-ness… on _Ichigo's_ face… (a look that made me want to laugh like an idiot, blush from the utter baffling notion that Ichigo's face could even remotely look so intoxicated with his own fantasies or get irritated at the paradoxical expression) kind of botched any possible similarities right there.

It was… it was just so… _erroneous_. And weird, strange, not quite right, _wrong_, did I mention weird?

_Not_ Ichigo.

And Ichigo being, well, Ichigo? …That was kind of an important requirement for this town.

His will was a necessary component in his hollow slaying.

Coming back from my analysis my eyes flickered left to take in the scene before me and when I did a large sweatdrop developed and began to slowly slide down the side of my face.

Ichigo was shouting at Ichigo and Ichigo was whining back.

Rukia's blank face was moving left to right following each argument that issued out of the mouth of both Kurosaki and his twin.

The substitute soul reaper had a head throb the size of the Eiffel Tower currently pounding away at his skull as he shouted point blank at his animated body.

"What the hell did you think you were doing huh?!"

The Gikongan was er, pouting and sulking. "Aw man, you dragged me out of heaven!"

_HEAVEN_?!

Standing there several paces to my left his eyes washed over me and an overly heavy sigh of longing escaped his mouth. With his eyes still scoping me out he pulled on his bottom lip.

Did all sub-souls behave like this?

I blinked and looked askance, completely out of my depth, at Ichigo.

By the stony glare it was safe to assume he wasn't impressed.

He kept his attention on his copy. "Hey, eyes over here." When the sub-soul ignored him he snapped. "OI! Eyes over here or I'll take you out of my body and step on you!"

The threat worked as the guy whipped back to face him. "Sorry!"

"You better be you perv!"

"I'm not a perv!"

"You had your head buried in her …in her-"

"Breasts?"

"SHUT UP!"

"What?! It's not my problem if you can't say it?!"

"She's my friend you jerk! Show some respect!"

"I was!"

"HOW?!"

"I was paying her a compliment!"

"BY FEELING HER UP?!"

"Hey, I've been cooped up for a long time now! It's only natural for a man to crave… mmmhh…those."

And this is where his gaze came back to me; eyes shining stars of shear perversion.

It was seriously wigging me out.

As it was with Ichigo; his eyes open and closed spastically. Then his head turned around with robotic like movements to narrow a fierce glare at a speechless Rukia, as if he couldn't believe what he was witnessing.

"I have to use _this_ guy? Are you _freaking_ kidding me?! Rukia?! HEY, I'M TALKING TO YOU!"

This wasn't a very confidence inducing result.

…If he though my, er, _assets_ were impressive just wait till the Gikongan spots Orihime.

* * *

**Later in Class…**

When we'd walked back to class in a daze, a state that could only have been described as a zombie walk of utter doom (Ichigo), bafflement (me) and disturbing cheerfulness (guess who), I'd pondered on the unbelievably disturbing image of Kurosaki arguing with a parallel copy of himself. A copy with a lighter, tamer version of Ichigo's machismo tone of voice; a voice with no sense of the consequences to his lewd actions.

After the initial argument Rukia had ordered the Gikongan stand to attention and introduce himself, to prove the merit of the purchase.

_The sub-soul gave us all a sharp salute with his left hand; eyes twinkling and soft, no scowl in sight, glittery bits oscillating in his unusually bright aura reflecting in that orange hair, a sappy little smile that was genuinely frightening on that face…_

_And then he spoke sealing this deal with the devil._

"_Greetings! My name is Ichigo Kurosaki! 'Early to bed early to rise', that's my motto!"_

_A choked sound rose up from Ichigo's Oesophagus. "Early to bed, early to WHAT?!"_

_I think it was fairly obvious to say I was pretty much speechless myself. If I wasn't convinced before that this Gikongan wasn't going to work I certainly was now._

_Silently I exchanged a glance of complete disbelief with Ichigo who looked like he was about to asphyxiate._

_Neither of us could believe it; Ichigo probably thought it was a joke. His stand-in wouldn't last five seconds with a personality he probably deemed (by the sick expression on his face) 'wussy'._

…_He looked like a wet noodle not, as Pei already believed Ichigo to be, a scowling bad boy. A sex driven wet noodle at that._

_Rukia chose that moment to extol in the excellence of such a marvel. "Impressive isn't it?"_

_Was she ignoring how it had previously latched onto my chest?_

_Next to me Ichigo's brow twitched._

_The soul just waved happily at him, his smile beyond shinning. A completely innocent image in comparison to the previous perverted one._

_I was getting an odd inkling about this…_

_Kurosaki turned to his guide. "Rukia, he's a total dork! The perfect recipe for wedges!" He shouted, pointing unnecessarily at the Gikongan. "And if he starts perving on my classmates I'll be ruined!"_

_Rukia shrugged. "He's perfect. You're just being picky; I didn't think you were so fussy Ichigo."_

"_I'm not! Hey, are you even listening to me?" _

_But Rukia just shook her head and walked over to the sub-soul, already pulling on her trusty glove to extract the wanton substitute from Ichigo's body._

_I could feel the complete and total defeat spreading through the rich and confusing river of his verve. I pulled on my lower lip with my teeth and observed how he drooped. _

"_Years of attitude flushed… Why do all of Rukia's plans suck so badly? Oh man… I'm actually going to have to leave him at school… with my friends…"_

_I lifted an arm, fingers unfurling hesitantly before they took the plunge and lightly patted his shihaksho clad left shoulder._

_Aggravated eyes slid sideways to look at me._

"_I'll make sure he doesn't do anything too ostentatious." It was _meant_ to sound reassuring but…_

"…_Thanks."_

I couldn't escape the feeling that this was probably the worst idea on the face of this earth.

Something about the Gikongan made me think that Urahara had screwed up somewhere. Had they ordered the wrong type of Gikongan? Was the batch subjected to extreme heat?

It felt so present and natural… it even had its own personality. Now Rukia had stated clearly and enthusiastically that many members of the science division in her soul society developed these 'tools' for combat purposes and that their personalities were top quality…

…Would they really create a top quality Gikongan with the qualities of an overly cheery, ultra pervert?

Maybe, maybe not.

But it wasn't reassuring to someone like Ichigo who lived his life via his own attitude laced principals, whatever they might be.

Now in our second lesson of the day I knew we were both waiting for the inevitable hollow call.

_Tap, tap, tap._

Leaning my chin casually on my right hand I let my gaze travel behind me and to my left in a pensive kind of stroll towards the desk situated there and its orange haired occupant.

_Tap, tap, tap, tap, tap, tap, tap._

…Who'd been tapping his pencil in a continuous monotonous rhythm for a good twenty minutes now.

Someone wasn't a happy camper.

There were no head throbs or eyebrow twitches, he just sat there staring into space with his usual scowl but I could tell he was worrying. Whether the concern was aimed more towards an inevitably ruined reputation than a genuine concern for his friends was irrelevant… he was worrying.

I glanced towards his right, catching a pair of dark blue eyes and indicating with my own green ones back towards the town's protector against innocence takers.

She quirked a brow in query.

…I stared at her until she got it.

She nodded and turned slightly and tapped Kurosaki's arm, probing after his mood.

The resulting eye glare over his shoulder had her sweatdropping and scurrying back into her manga. As such she didn't glimpse his subsequent eye roll.

…Maybe their relationship was much more understanding than I thought it was. They both argued at times like one or both of them were on fire but secretly, maybe, they enjoyed it.

Pondering this, the hand I was leaning on now pressed against my lips; I was unconscious of how my eyes had softened in thought and on how they'd stayed focused on Ichigo.

…The boy who was simply scowling down at his desk and tapping away with his pencil.

But then, as if he'd been warned his eyes lifted off his desk and flickered over at me.

I blinked, caught, leaning up off my hand.

For a moment he just looked at me, his eyes gauging me speculatively. No worry or any other preoccupation was present there in the depths of brown. He stopped tapping and brought the pencil in his right hand up to his mouth to chew on, his fingers twisting it absent mindedly at the lead end.

The familiar action performed on so many previous staring ventures made me smile appreciatively at him.

…His scowl tipped slightly as his head tilted but he just stared at my eyes, the scowl on his face a mere furrow of concentration.

_Okaaaaayyy… _My smile faltered and I queried a soft brow in his direction. However he simply glanced away towards the blackboard releasing me frowning and confused.

I brought my head back around and kept my eyes on my text book.

Two minutes later a note landed with a bounce next to my arm.

My head turned to blink at it. Then, furtively checking to make sure the teacher was busy writing droll notes on the blackboard I unfolding the scrap of paper.

**Hey.**

…As sentences go it was pretty short. Was he bored or something?

_Hi. What's wrong?_

**A lot. But I kind of just wanted to apologise.**

_For what?_

**Guess Mai, guess _really_ hard. It shouldn't take long.**

_Gee, thanks. Wasn't this supposed to be an apology? From you to me?_

…**Yeah. Sorry. Really.**

_It wasn't your fault. The Gikongan's a perv but it's not like it's the worst thing that could happen._

**Don't even speculate on that. When someone says 'what's the worst that could happen', or 'it can't get any worse than this' the world decides to surprise you or prove just how wrong you really are. So don't do it again. Ever.**

_Er, alright. Sorry._

**You better be. It's serious business. **

_I now see that. Thank you for educating me._

**You're welcome. Sheesh Mai, you're like, _waaaayy_ behind on these kinds of things.**

_I know, I know. Pei's always having to explain things to me._

**So she's your translator?**

_To a fashion. _

There was a lull in conversation between us for which I'm sure our note passer (some days Rukia other days Chad) was very relieved with. A few minutes more and Kurosaki sent me another.

**I can sense you now.**

_You can sense me?_

**I've been trying to sense those around me using my reitsu but it's difficult to do. Trying to do it your way has actually made it easier but it's kind of limited. I can only do it when I'm close to what I'm trying to sense and only when I'm concentrating. And sitting down. With no distractions (Rukia). But at least I can do it now.**

_Why were you trying so hard?_

**It was better than the alternative.**

I glanced at him out of the corner of my eye to find him focussed on writing notes off the board. Why was he writing notes to me in class when he was endeavouring to concentrate?

_The alternative?_

**Thinking about using this Gikon-thing and how it's _so_ not a good idea.**

_Ah. That. _

**Apparently it's top of the line, created from the genius of over 100 scientists with the ideal personality.**

_Yeah, heard about that too. There was a lecture and everything._

**Obviously they made a mistake somewhere. There's no way that _that_ perv is top of the line _anything_.**

_I suppose. But if you think about it the Gikongan's original form is that of a shiny but tiny ball. Talk about sad. I kind of feel sorry for it._

**You would, even after it felt you up.**

_He didn't feel me up. He didn't. Seriously. He just hugged me a little too enthusiastically._

**That kind of hugging is illegal in certain secluded areas of the world.**

_Maybe he was just lonely. Cooped up in such a small compartment can't exactly be the highlight of life._

**I suppose. Oh great, you're going to make me feel sorry for the little skeeze. Well I won't. That little idiot is going to be in my body and if he doesn't cause a riot then my hair really is died. **

_It isn't is it? _

**My hair is 100% badass orange and I was born with it thank you very much. Plus I think that was kind of implied, you know, right there in the last line. **

_Oh I'm sorry; I didn't mean to hit an exposed nerve right there. And you already know my views on your hair. Would you like me to repeat them?_

**No, no, no, thank you but no. No. Please? **

_Er, sure. Wait… I thought guys liked to be complimented? Pei said it bucks up their ego or something._

**Where does your cousin get her information? Does she have some secret book or something? **

_I don't know… well, I mean she might do. Why, was she correct?_

**Well, I guess. I just don't get how you can see me the way you do. Whatever. Can I ask you a question?**

_Of course you can._

**If Rukia is a soul reaper and I'm a substitute then what does that make you?**

_Trouble._

**Don't be annoyingly evasive; that's Rukia's job.**

_Honestly I'm not sure. Looking at the facts I know I'm no soul reaper but I'm also not an ordinary human. I've thought about it and I can't think of an explanation as to what I am except that I'm more inclined towards my instincts than most. Souls and hollows sometimes react to me strangely as if they can't quite figure out what I'm about. I look at you and I can see the flow of your reitsu. To me the whole town feels like a giant fishbowl of life; the epicentre of a coming tempest and I have no idea what I'm supposed to do about it._

**That's pretty heavy.**

_It is? Oh. Maybe you're right._

**I'll help you.**

_Sorry?_

**When you find out what you're supposed to do I'll help you.**

_Kurosaki you already said it was heavy. I didn't tell you to add to the weight you already carry on those shihaksho clad shoulders of yours._

**You don't add to the weight Mai. When you trust me with something it actually feels… lighter.**

Sentiment.

Sometimes it destroyed your sense of reason. Occasionally it burdened you. Other times it raised you to the sky.

On rare occasions however it robbed you of your ability to speak.

As it had me.

I just stared down at the words written on the note in my hand, wondering for the hundredth time why I was worth that kind of consideration. What had changed in the past couple of months that made this period of my life so different from the past 16 years?

No one outside of my odd amalgamation of family members had ever spoken to me in such a way, with care.

Then again he probably thought I was being a dense idiot. Heh, most likely.

Before I could write anything back however a buzzing vibration noise sounded out behind me and I knew immediately it was Rukia's dreaded pager.

Nobody moved as the teacher paused in his droning to glance up from his papers before shrugging and continuing.

There was a dull '_thunk'_ sound of a forehead hitting its desk in dread.

Wincing I twisted my head around to offer an expression of pure sympathy towards the doom stricken substitute who raised his head and grimaced back, looking for all as if the world had come to an end.

Observing the obvious hesitance of her charge Rukia rolled her eyes and lifted her left arm to poke him at the side of his head, a reminder of what needed to be done.

After a forehead throb he sighed and leaned back in his seat. Then, with reluctant sloth like movements he dragged his hand into his right pants pocket to extricate the tiny soul ball. Clasping it in between his index finger and thumb I watched him stare at it for a second. His eyes looked left and right to make sure no one in class was paying any attention before popping the ball into his mouth and immediately swallowing.

Nobody noticed as he flashed out of his body, nobody but Uryu that is.

The glint from his glasses is what caught my attention. My gaze slid over to him and found him staring at Ichigo from his seat next to the back window; a focused expression of absolute analysis with hidden levels of aggression written in the window of his eyes. The flare of Ichigo's robes flapped swiftly by as he sprinted, almost gliding from the room the way I assumed all soul reapers do.

For a short while Uryu continued stare before turning his gaze towards the window.

I barely heard Rukia's proclamation to teacher ('STOMACH CRAMPS!') over the intricacies of my thoughts as she sped out the door too.

From what Urahara claimed Soul Reapers exist in a basic sense to maintain a form of balance in the world of the living and the soul society, a place which in a sense could be described as a long term station of rebirth. They themselves weren't dead; they were reborn and transformed. A second life of new choices and possibilities.

So if they were the balance keepers of the dead, what did it say about their methods and efficiency when Karakura Town is being slowly overrun by an imbalance of hollows?

And if they kept a watchful eye over all matters of the spirit why had nobody arrived to provide to aid to one of their own?

Rukia had lost her powers through transference in an hour of desperation: to save an innocent and his family thereby performing her civic duty to the letter. And yet there had no word from the place she would call home to help rectify her poor situation.

…Her powers were weaker than I expected them to be.

True I shouldn't be comparing her reitsu to Ichigo's and she hadn't been recuperating long, just a few weeks in fact but… it was worrying.

Of course deliberations of imbalance brought forth another far more ominous question.

If soul reapers catered after the souls of the newly dead, who presided over the soulless chain of yokai sightings?

Was there a government holding sway over them? And if there was why did Urahara not mention them to me?

He'd spoken as if they demonic underlings where a complete surprise.

A scrape across the floor made by a chair caught my attention and I blinked. Turning my head left my face immediately went blank; stunned would be the correct term.

A pair of very familiar brown eyes amidst a face so used to scowling were gazing at me as if I were the meaning of life; those eyes previously serious and intense were now gooey with adolescent longing... and fixed on _moi_. That peach face glowed but not with subtle vitality, _no_, it was with the crimson blush now sporting those hard cheekbones making him look more like an orange haired brother of Keigo Asano.

I couldn't move a single muscle on my face and from the strain my lip threatened to twitch.

Eyes flickering behind him I glimpsed the desk and chair he'd so _neatly_ turned asunder in his eagerness to sit closer to me. Black streaks printed the clean floor where he'd dragged his desk over and more or less shoved the person already sitting to my left out of his seat.

The teacher was staring, slack jawed at the front of the class.

Every single one of my friends were sitting there in various stages of disbelief and hilarity.

And I'd missed the entire thing being off in daydream world; a very real place I assure you.

The Gikongan had brought both arms up to lean his elbows against the desk so he could rest his chin against them. A dreamy smile was painted across his jaw alongside the mega perverted blush.

"Hiiiiiiiiii..." He managed to sing at me, nice and LOUD, you know because he's so considerate and all that jazz.

...My brain answered in silence with a very indistinguishable kind of '_whauhahhh'_ sound of utter nonsense.

It was official: I was in deep shit.

**I would have loved, LOVED adding the whole Kon scenario here but there was just soooo much of it. Sorry. But at least released the chpater _finally_. Will get to work on the next one straight away!**

**Next Chapter: All About Kon.**

**MERRY CHRISTMAS!**


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